Posts by Norm Bour

Chuck Huff, the president of the Pennsylvania Vape Association tells us the effects on the vape industry in my old home state and how it has decimated the vape industry there. Entrepreneurs that risked their hearts, souls and money have been ruined in some cases and it ain’t over yet. The worse may still be yet to come.

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past year you have heard about this movie called A Billion Lives.

It was the brainchild of director, Aaron Biebert, a nonsmoker, who was intrigued by this new thing he heard of called “vaping.” As he researched the market and looked into the history of vaping, some bad things surfaced. Those bad things included efforts by competitors, primarily Big Tobacco and Big Pharma, to squelch the industry.

The Big Boys were threatened by our world, and they should have been. They ignored vaping for a remarkably long time and when their market share eroded they decided to get on board. They bought Ecig companies. Some started their own. Then came the bad shit: the smear campaigns. The negative publicity. Evidence of collusion between anti vaping organizations that surprisingly, were also against us.

As Aaron filmed Billion Lives some truths became evident.

Lawsuits: no one wants them and if you can avoid them, it’ll be cheaper for you all the way around. But litigation is part of life and business since it follows disputes and disagreements and they are an everyday event.

In this crazy vape world, we have our share of disagreements and sticking points. The biggest one right now, the elephant in the room, is the battle against the FDA. There are currently four major suits against the FDA, initiated by some of the biggest names and players in the industry.

But the one that just plain pissed us off, the one we really, really wanted to win, was the case against the state of Indiana which was brought on by the Right to Be Smoke-Free organization.

This is part II of our interview with Keller and Heckman LLP law partner, David Ettinger, speaking to us from Shanghai. Our last show, VAPE radio #85, covered China, and this show expands into Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, Russia and other areas as well.

It will be an eye opener since you will get a deep, deep dive into the vape market overseas. Be sure you catch our prior show to learn about China proper. See the long list of topics we covered below.

Ettinger has lived in Shanghai for 4 years and follows the market there every day.

There was so much information to cover that I asked him to keep going, so thanks for joining us on Part II.

Today’s interview is with Jason Carignan, CMO of Kreket International, and their subsidiary, Phillips and King.

There is one vape event that stands apart from the others and that is TPE. Tobacco Plus Expo is the official name, but most call it TPE for short. The show will be held on Jan. 25-26 in Las Vegas and the good news is that it’s free to all of us in the vape space.

Here’s why I make TPE a “must attend” event and you should to.

This show is an indicator of the direction of the vaping industry. Now that tobacco and vape are considered the same per the FDA, we are brothers in name, though not in culture. Add in the fringe elements of “alternatives,” including cannabis, hookah and similar products, and the unification of these vices may show us the future.

Today’s interview is with Tony Abboud with the VTA, Vapor Technology Association.

D-Day, also known as August 8, has passed and the rumblings continue. Many are still unsure what this all means exactly and everyone seems to be playing ball. For now.

Here’s what I sense is happening.

The FDA comes out with this insane, unrealistic and way too over the top regulations. Everyone falls into place, but the problem is that the line that we need to stand behind is obscure.

People are asking: Exactly WHAT must we do or not do? The sampling question is one that comes up the most. Many liquid manufacturers are still unclear of the next deadline coming up in December.

And what is see is some pushback. People are now asking: HOW will the FDA know if I am doing things right or not? Do they have spies on the street? What enforcement power do they have?

This show is not intended to be a scary one, but I warn you,it will be. Halloween is coming and what is happening in the vape world is alltrick and no treat. Everyone is focused on the FDA and of course, they are thebiggest and the baddest of the group, but there are goblins and gremlins muchcloser to you. The FDA is just the point of the spear but there are many thatare following their lead. Some are in your city and some are in your statecapital. Even though our conversation today is about a specific proposal inCalifornia called Prop 56, it is a dangerous sign of things to come.

Today we’ll be talking with someone that many ofyou will know; Cynthia Cabrera, the former Executive Director of SFATANational. She has been a leader in vaping advocacy for years and a friend andsupporter of ours as we have of her. Today we’ll talk about “No on 56” inCalifornia and also about another law on the other side of the country, in myold home state of Pennsylvania.

Today’s interview is with Derrick Woods with e-Pure Liquids. His company is offering e-liquid sellers a great option moving forward and what could be a make-sense way to stay in business.

If you are in the liquid business we’re opening a new division within VapeMentors called PMTA Advisors to help you with options and choices and give you guidance moving forward.

What’s prompting this is D-Day- August 8. Things are happening everywhere. New products being launched and current ones being redone.

VAPExpo in Amsterdam and Prague are coming up. Please come meet with me! The first two weeks of august I’ll be touring as many companies and shops as I can.

If you heard vape radio #78, we talked about a new movie about vaping called A Billion Lives. It is now coming to the US, so stay tuned since it may be coming to a theater near you!

After 8/8 you cannot make any changes to your product. That means any changes. For those in the liquid market that are doing significant volume you must be sure that your lab, or the one you use, is set to upgrade to new requirements. Problem is, we don’t know exactly what those may be. So most are going to the extreme and are making pharmaceutical grade labs.

Today’s interview is with RonTully, with Next Generation Labs. His is a name you may have heard before ifyou are in the liquid biz. Today he’ll be sharing a product that may change alot of things in the e-liquid world.

Tobacco Free Nicotine: what isit? Another name for it is synthetic nicotine, but the term syntheticis not a popular one, kind of like GMO.

There may be advantages to TFN:Better flavor. No aftertaste. Easier to mix with. Those are all good. But it’spricier than regular nicotine. But not enough to dissuade you and after all,you do get what you pay for.

When you combine TFN with highquality ingredients, what do you get? Pretty awesome flavor. Great forconnoisseurs!

The world of vape is changingand you must change with it. The key to survival is adaptation, and ourinterview today IS all about adapting- to a brand new market.

I’ll be speaking in Amsterdamin July at Vapexpo and if you are EU based I’d love to connect! Two weeks laterI’ll be in Prague and between the two dates I’ll be touring as many companiesand shops as I can. Would you like to connect? Let me know [email protected]

Coming up soon; VAPE U III:Vape Summit. 4 days, 20 hours with 20+ of the most amazing thought leaders inthe vape space to educate and empower you. Sign up at www.vapementors.com.

What do YOU want to know? Weinterviewed tens of thousands of vape professionals and asked: What keeps youup at night? What worries you the most?

With hundreds of responses we drilledit down to just a few areas and then found the best people in the industry toaddress them. It’s June 23-26 and it will be FREE.