Big Tobacco entering the Nicotine Salt Market

[dw1986]

Hot on the heels of the IQOS (which IMO is just smoking rebranded and can’t even be considered a vaping device, but let’s not go there), comes the imaginatively named STEEM from Philip Morris...

It’s currently under development, and few details are known at present, I can’t even find a picture of it, however what Philip Morris say is ‘Unlike an e-cigarette, this product generates a nicotine-containing vapor in the form of a nicotine salt.

When a consumer draws on the mouth piece, a chemical reaction between nicotine (a weak base) and a weak organic acid takes place to produce a vapor containing nicotine salt. The resulting highly water-soluble fine particles of the nicotine salt can then be easily inhaled by the consumer’

I’ll be interested to see what organic acid is used, as the popular PAX JUUL already uses a combination of benzoic acid and freebase nicotine to produce nicotine salt, and PAX hold the patent to that method.

I’m sure we shall be seeing plenty more of these types of products from Big T as tobacco revenues dry up and the e-cigarette market continues to expand...

 

[zouzounaki]

It would be bizarre if pressure from the tobacco conglomerates was the thing that ended in the 20mg nic limit being scrapped , eh?

 

[akira181]

Do nic salts have the same restrictions as freebase nic?

 

[dw1986]

It would be bizarre if pressure from the tobacco conglomerates was the thing that ended in the 20mg nic limit being scrapped , eh?

I agree, who knows with them however, if it suits their own ends then they could press to increase the 20mg limit I suppose

Do nic salts have the same restrictions as freebase nic?

Yes they do buddy, only 20mg/ml max available with EU vendors. You need to import from elsewhere if you want higher strength

 

[zouzounaki]

I agree, who knows with them however, if it suits their own ends then they could press to increase the 20mg limit I suppose



Yes they do buddy, only 20mg/ml max available with EU vendors. You need to import from elsewhere if you want higher strength

Aye. I would imagine this STEEM device is designed with higher strength liquid in mind so I could see it being a possibility.

 

[dw1986]

Aye. I would imagine this STEEM device is designed with higher strength liquid in mind so I could see it being a possibility.

The cynical side of me thinks they are more than happy with the 20mg/ml limit, making e-cigarettes less effective for people that wish to quit smoking...

 

[zouzounaki]

That’s a possibility. The other, opposite would be they’re feeling seriously threatened by vapes and want to put something out that will really hook people in. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[dw1986]

That’s a possibility. The other, opposite would be they’re feeling seriously threatened by vapes and want to put something out that will really hook people in. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

From a business perspective they would be stupid not to be ploughing vast sums of money into vaping (which they are already), given that smoking rates continue to decrease and vaping increases. I’m sure they will continue targeting the new user market heavily, I doubt we will see anything developed for the hobbyist vaping market anytime soon

 

[Rickster]

It would be bizarre if pressure from the tobacco conglomerates was the thing that ended in the 20mg nic limit being scrapped , eh?

Could be a doubled edged sword....they come in big n heavy...regs relaxed.... everyone vapes....great....then taxed tae fk

 

[dw1986]

Could be a doubled edged sword....they come in big n heavy...regs relaxed.... everyone vapes....great....then taxed tae fk

One thing is for sure, they can’t be trusted