BESOCHEMPS blog: Recent Comments

Comment on Marlboro tries to obey new marketing restictions

Sabrina — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:57:32 GMT

Let me start off by apologizing, but these bastards seem to be able to do what ever the hell they want.
No one should be allowed to legally sell one of the most addictive and certainly deadliest products on the planet. And instead of banning the product, our government become bedfellows with them! Why? Because the damn money they can pimp out of you outweighs what they value your life to be worth!

In 1972 the U.S banned the use of the pesticide DDT. Why? Mainly because of it's affect on our wildlife or was it really because the elected officials in this country know the profit of tobacco products accounts for a hell of a lot of the national budget.

Look, I love animals as much as the next person but we need to ask ourselves. Why and when did it become acceptable for us to stand on Madison Avenue and raise our voices to protect the animals on the planet but not care about ourselves enough to protect us?!

~Hey Sabrina - You never need to apologize to me for calling the Tobacco industry "bastards." A bastard is illegitimate and I think adjective fits the Big Tobacco just fine.

If they were a legitimate company, selling a legitimate product they wouldn't need to addict (and eventually kill) people in order to assure customer loyalty.

If they were legitimate they wouldn't need to donate $million$ to politicians in order to get legislative protection. What other consumer product doesn't need to list it's ingredients?

Big Tobacco is illegitimate.

Big Tobacco is a bunch of bastards.

(And those are the NICE words I can say about them!) Thanks for your comment!

Comment on States With The Most Smokers

Janeson — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:03:05 GMT

Really telling article with lots of information that could help people...if they would use it!

~Yes, it's good information, but we can only lead the horse to water I suppose.
Thanks for taking the time to make a comment! There is a TON of statistical information available
at www.TobaccoFreeKids.org

Comment on Snuff just as addictive as cigarettes

chewie — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:58:37 GMT

Actually,I'd suggest that it's much MORE addictive, but that's coming from a very biased point of view as I chewed a can and a half per day for 18+ years. That said, I think we can definitely agree that regardless of the form it's in tobacco is TOTALLY addictive.

Great find!

~Hey hey Chewie! Thanks for the comment. I suspect you are dead right! I've treated lots of dippers and chewers who were more wired on the nicotine than my typical 1 or 2 pack smoker. I suspect that how long the product stays in the mouth (often longer than a "session" of smoking) is a factor. I recall reading in the past that a single can of dip (depending upon the brand) can contain as much nicotine as 2 or more packs of cigarettes.

Sadly, Chewie... I've treated lots of smokers who switched to chewing tobacco thinking that it would be a helpful transition on their way to becoming tobacco-free. Many of them find the chemical addiction worse than smoking and then they convince themselves that chewing is better than smoking and they stop trying to quit. ((BTW - the chemical addiction is only 1 of the 5 heads of the dragon! For a good look at all 5 aspects of tobacco's death grip, check out BESOCHEMPS, The Five Headed Dragon.)

Thank you for the great work you're doing! FREE is how we're supposed to be!

~breathe & believe
BESOCHEMPS

Comment on Obama administration files appeal in tobacco case

Jacob — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 03:12:52 GMT

I'm a believer in funding for programs such as cessation programs and support groups. The support groups I attend weekly are a huge part of why I'm 20+ months smoke-free (and mostly loving it.) However forgive me for being perhaps a little suspicious of the government when it comes to such matters as tobacco funded programs. I can't help but remember what happened in Massachusetts 2001. On the same day they doubled the tobacco tax per pack, they closed the doors on almost all of the highly successful smoking cessation programs across the state. Perhaps I'm skeptical or confused about what this article means, but I hope that tobacco taxes will be put toward providing high quality cessation programs. It is my prayer that these programs come back because I KNOW I couldn't have quit without them.

~Thanks for the comment, Jacob & congrats on being free for 20+ months! ~w00t!
Massachusetts had one of the most successful and comprehensive tobacco prevention programs on the planet. Bur when governors choose to PIMP smokers rather then defend public health, people will suffer and die needlessly. Hopefully the day is coming when all health insurers will cover evidence based cessation programs. In Massachusetts Fallon Community Health Plan offers a highly successful program. Other insurers are beginning to do the right thing too. Demonizing the health insurers isn't necessarily going to bring meaningful health care reform, but making some sensible changes (like mandating that insurers pay for tobacco cessation) will improve public health and "public wealth."

Keep up the great work, Jake!

Comment on Brown sues electronic cigarette maker

Joe — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:23:47 GMT

Why are government agencies going after these devices (electronic cigarettes) with such convictions. What about TOBACCO CIGARETTES why are they still being sold, after all they are one of the top killers of Americans over 400,000 a year (fact!). Why doesn't the Federal Government do it's own test of these devices and publish it. I was able to quit tobacco cigarettes with the help of the electronic cigarette, I know it has harmful chemicals in it, you have to be an idiot not to, but I also know they are far less harmful than conventional cigarettes. The answer is simple MONEY!!! Whom do you have to payoff in order to keep these devices on shelves for people like me and thousands of other users. It seems to me that the only way these devices will be left alone is for the government to manufacture them and start making a profit , again isn't that what its all about MONEY!!! It's a sad day when something so blatantly obvious goes by unchallenged...

~Maybe you E-cig peddlars need to hire some lobbyists who can make some BIG campaign contributions. That has always worked for Big Tobacco! ;-) Unfortunately we can apply neither logic nor justice to the current political & economic systems.

Thanks for your comment!

Comment on Vitasmoke - Philip Morris Smoking Novelty

Ed — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:16:01 GMT

Even we don't go that far...we just want to help people replace tobacco with a better product.

~Right Ed. I'm not entirely convinced that the E-cigs are completely safe, but logical people tend to suppose that they are SAFER than sucking soot the old tobacco way. The traditional tobacco industry is absolutely the slimiest industry around. Even crack dealers don't lie about what they're doing as badly as RJReynolds and Phillip Morris do.

Thanks for the comment!

Comment on The Five-Headed Dragon: BESOCHEMPS

Kathy — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:02:53 GMT

No Shannon a dragon ALWAYS has five heads. I've wrestled with this slippery dragon for a very long time. Today I am "smober" for 20 months & I couldn't have done it without understanding BESOCHEMPS and dealing with each of the 5 heads. I could pick out an event or feeling that would put the WANT of a cigarette into every category. Just wanted to share with you. Hang in there & you can do it too! God bless! ~Kathy

Comment on Study: 'Electronic cigarettes' don't deliver

Sandy — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 05:02:18 GMT

I really have to take issue with this report. I have been using e-cigs for close to a year now. You'll never convince me that I am not getting any nicotine. What I am NOT getting is all the toxic additives that are in a cigarette that are also addictive. There are thousands of people on the e-cigarette forum that can attest to the same thing. If you want to know how successful these are, go to the forum and read real life experiences.

~Thanks for the comment! This is a forum for discussion and I'm grateful for your opinions. =)

FTR (for the record) I'm not trying to convince anyone that they aren't getting nicotine. I just posted the article because it is relevant to a passion and mission of mine; -assisting people who are ready to try to stop smoking. If you disagree with the article, perhaps you should contact Paul Courson at CNN. He says that studies showed that very little nicotine is actually making its way into the bloodstream of users.

I'm just posting the article and posing the questions: IF E-cigs aren't delivering therapeutic doses of nicotine, why are people selling them as NRT (nicotine replacement therapy.) IF they are not delivering a significant or therapeutic dose of nicotine, perhaps cinnamon sticks or coffee stirrers would be equally effective for some quitters. Since I think I clearly understand the long term risks associated with the use of straws or cinnamon sticks as oral substitutes, I would feel much safer using them as a behavioral tool while quitting. Which brings me to my next question...

Since no ( large independent ) health risk studies have been done on these products, why are they on the market? For better or worse, in this country we can't market products without demonstrating safety. And if that product claims to deliver medication then the safety restrictions are far more complicated. These products have not been approved by the FDA. I'm surprised that they are being allowed in the marketplace.

Personally, I strongly suspect that E-cigs are less harmful than "sucking soot" from traditional cigarettes. If you've read any of my other blog articles, you know how I feel about polonium, arsenic, formaldehyde, & carbon monoxide. =) Eliminating all of those toxins is surely a good start! The existence of diethylene glycol and other known toxins in some of the E-cigs might give consumers some concern however.

I suspect that E-cigs, when used for several weeks as part of a comprehensive plan to completely eliminate exposure to nicotine and tobacco, may be an effective tool.

Ethically, before I could recommend E-cigs to any of the thousands of quitters I assist I would need to see the results of a large independent health risk study.

I appreciate your candor!
breathe & believe

Comment on Tobacco industry sinks to a new low:

Pamela — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:52:25 GMT

3 things bother me the most:

1. Celebrities such as Paris and Lindsey are toting these as great NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy)

2. The adult smoker in a non-smoking environment may be willing to ingest larger amounts of nicotine to ward off a craving and...

3. Kids can be poisoning themselves at home, in the classroom and who will know?

The long term effects of this scare me silly -
Shame on RJR - absolutely heinous!

~You are SO right. This is SO-O-O wrong on so many levels! Unfortunately, "celebrities" to often give their "advice" because they forget that they have expertise in a limited arena. They should stick to acting or singing or bouncing in and out of rehab - whatever they're famous for. Giving advice on how to quit smoking? - Not so much?!

Your comment about teachers and parents being unaware is absolutely legitimate. Even parents & teachers who are involved and alert will have a hard time recognizing these products. They sure look like candy to me. RJR has blurred the line between candy and carcinogen - all for the sake of their bottom line!

Fortunately these products are available in limited markets. Thanks for keeping your eyes open and doing what you can to get the word out.

"Let us never grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap if we do not lose heart."
~Galatians 6:9

breathe & believe

Comment on Tobacco industry sinks to a new low:

Alex — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:54:36 GMT

Its not secret that companies of such scale as RJR leave nothing to chance. That means resemblance to candy and gum is not a coincidence. We are not animals who destroy our own kids.

~You're right Alex! (and thanks for the comment.)
They are really good at what they do & what they do is deliberate deception leading to disease, destitution & death.

Noble folks like you need to keep up the good work! ~breathe & believe