Author: pbusardo

Here’s the latest from Brent Stafford at Regulator Watch:

We’re back with our first RegWatch episode of 2018. It’s a bit of a special episode as we embark on a trip we don’t take often enough, a visit to a local vape store.

Incredibly, in over 100 episodes on vaping we’ve only shot at a vape shop a small handle full of times. As our viewers know we focus on the big regulatory issues around vaping.

So, right before Christmas we set out to Lucky 8 Vapes, a popular retailer in the heart of Richmond B.C. We intended to capture the sights and sounds of the holiday bustle, but quickly the topics turned serious and perhaps inevitably it became all about the regs.

Produced by: Brent Stafford
Released January 11, 2018.

Although Mr. Mooch has pretty much taken over TasteYourJuice.com as of late, I’m happy to report, I’M BACK! 🙂

The new studio is still a work in progress.

Believe it or not, I was hit with ANOTHER Windows 10 update and you’ll notice the difference in video quality before and after I pick the winner. Going to be trying some new things so stay tuned.

The first review of 2018 is going to be the new Switcher from Vaporesso. Hopefully by the end of the week. Still need more time with it in testing and usage.

In THIS video we find out who the BIG WIENER is for the 2017 Stocking/Sack contest. Congratulations to the winner!

The Video:

*NOTE: Any use of these videos in part or in their entirety without Phil Busardo’s expressed written consent is strictly prohibited.

This Christmas Eve I’m very blessed to be surrounded by my family.   I’m wishing the same for you.

• I started this adventure as a way to help people find what I found…
• What I was excited about…
• After all the fails, finally something that worked…
• A safer alternative to traditional, combustible, tobacco cigarettes…

VAPING!

Along the way I’ve met some amazing people.  I’ve met many of you.  For that too, I am blessed.

Don’t ever call yourselves fans… you are my friends and for that I am forever grateful.

I hope to carry that tradition on far into the future.  With every video I make,  every show I attend, every effort I give, and every single email or comment I respond to…
To inspire people to give up their cigarettes and make the switch to vaping, or help people stick with it.

To those who have already made the switch… CONGRATULATIONS!!  Wishing you many MANY more smoke-free years in your future.
To those who have not… let’s talk!  You too can do it and I’ll be congratulating you, as well, soon enough!

• A very special THANK YOU to my wife Tricia, who through her understand and support, allow me to spend so much time with all of you!
• My family and friends who sacrifice time together for time with vaping!
• To Dimitris who gets up every day thinking about how he can make my life easier and better.  🙂
• To Innokin for believing in us, our ideas, and being instrumental in turning them and Platform into a reality!
• To the entire LaVape Shop team and Ali Shehry for being instrumental in bringing Vape Bromance to life!
• To all those companies and vendors who sent me their products for review in 2017 and have already packed the review queue for 2018!

You will never know how much you all mean to me!

Wishing you all the best for a very Merry Christmas and Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

For those of you who have been requesting “Dimitris Pink :-)” O-Rings for your Ares… they are now available at the new Innokin store!  Ares pre-built coils and replacement glass is also available.

Innokinstore.com is live!

Shop at www.Innokinstore.com and order Innokin device & tank accessories, power solutions and limited edition Innokin vaporizers.

Innokinstore.com has everything you need to keep your Innokin devices vaping perfectly, including o-rings, mouth pieces, replacement glass and more.

Good news! If you are searching for the Innokin LiftBox Bastion, there are a limited number available for order at Innokinstore.com right now.

Guaranteed authentic, delivered right to your door and backed by our Innokin customer care team. Visit Innokinstore.com today and keep on vaping great this holiday season!

Innokinstore.com is currently available in the USA with worldwide distribution in early 2018.

FROM THE VTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

On December 11, 2017, VTA along with the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (“CASAA”), the American Vaping Association (“AVA”), and the Smoke Free Alternatives Trade Association (“SFATA”), issued our Unified Front Letter to the vapor industry advising that the time was close to step up and support our call to action to change the predicate date, as part of the pending FY 2018 Appropriations process.

That same day, the American E-Liquid Manufacturing Standards Association (“AEMSA”) announced that it had taken a remarkable unilateral action that directly conflicted with the will of the overwhelming majority of the vapor industry.  Specifically, AEMSA announced that it sent a letter to House and Senate leaders in the United States Congress, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, directly attacking a legitimate and important legislative strategy that VTA and every other advocacy organization has been pursuing for the past three years.  In so doing, AEMSA purported to speak on behalf of the entire vapor industry in declaring to Congressional leaders that it would be a mistake to change the predicate date, andclaiming that our industry doesn’t need additional short-term relief.  In sending their letter, AEMSA demonstrated a complete disregard of the powerful Members of Congress who have graciously stepped forward to champion our industry.

In an effort to mitigate whatever damage AEMSA’s letter may have caused, we were pleased send a Unified Vapor industry letter, from VTA, AVA, CASAA and SFATA, encouraging our Congressional leaders to do the right thing and change the predicate date.  Here are examples of the Unified Vapor Letter (House) and the Unified Vapor Letter (Senate) that VTA’s team delivered to the Hill on December 14, 2017.

Individuals and groups may disagree on policy and strategy.  However, nothing gives one group license to undermine years of important relationship building and issue building in Congress simply because it has a “strong belief” in another approach.  Similarly, nothing justifies one group tearing down a legitimate legislative strategy that could be enormously beneficial to small and mid-sized companies right now, based on the notion that they have a better idea and might be able to secure something better at some point in the distant future.

So, if someone tells you their way is better, if they promise a “permanent” fix, if they tell you that they can solve your entire problem, or tell you that they are going to take vapor out of the Tobacco Control Act, that’s great.  Just make sure you ask all the hard questions like, what is the strategy, who is the team that will execute it, how are you going to generate support in the House and Senate, and where are the funds coming from to make it happen? Absent answers to these questions, you are just being offered ideas and words.

To that end, our fights are not ideological and not hypothetical.  They are real, they are present, and the clock is ticking.  Effective advocacy requires that we engage in strategies that can bring relief to our industry, engage in battles that are winnable, and that we build on prior success.  Our industry does not have the luxury of hope. We are in a pitched battle and if we are repeatedly distracted from singularly focusing on our real enemies, we’ll wake up one day with a basket full of beliefs but no believers in government.

As we look forward to another year, we invite all of you to join our continuing efforts to level the playing field and secure a bright future for the vapor industry in the U.S. by working simultaneously with Congress and the Administration.  For more information on why this one prong of our multi-pronged strategy is important to small, mid-sized and large companies alike, please read our Changing the Predicate Date Summary and FAQ.

Thank you,

VTA Board of Directors

Dear Phil,

I’ll be looking back at 2017 as the year in which I
smoked my last cigarette. It was the year I decided to stick with
vaping, a far healthier and more interesting way of nicotine delivery as
I’m sure you’ll agree. I have tried the first cartos back in 2011/2012,
but that didn’t work for me. Then I got an eGo clearo three years ago,
which was much better and made it possible to seriously cut back on smoking.
This year I bought my first RTA and mod, and got into building. While it
was me stubbing out the last cigarette, binning the last carton and
lighter, and actually deciding to quit smoking, there is much I have to
thank you for.

For starters, I have to thank you for the many reviews, rants, laughs
and discussions that I watched and enjoyed. You fueled my curiosity. I
learned a lot from you about building coils, and wicking RTAs, and
understanding how to make things work on the mod. Of course, I also
received a lot of help from the vaping community and the forums that I
now participate in, but there’s a huge difference between a description,
and actually seeing someone doing what’s described.

Your reviews, along with reviews from many other vaping channels, also
allowed me to make a more informed decision about what to choose from a
myriad of other options. It helped me understand what to look for in
RTAs and devices, and what to expect from different ones.
My first mod was one you reviewed fairly positively. Same with my first
RTA, in fact, you used it in your review of that mod to illustrate how
the device performed in TC. It was just an inexpensive beginners setup,
but it allowed me to take the transition. I have to thank you for that
as well. For the small investment, the setup has been a life changer.

Compared to the first cartos and clearos, vaping equipment has really
improved a lot over the past years. There is so much choice in starter
kits, and other vaping gear these days, that probably any smoker will be
able to find something to suit their preference. Quitting smoking for
vaping has never been easier. It just takes some initial curiosity,
perhaps a little helpful push in the right direction, and a willingness
to try.

So, in the spirit of Christmas, I’ve bought a good starter kit for a
good friend who has been trying but failing to quit smoking for a long
time. Perhaps that is another way of saying, “Thank you, Phil” ?

Anyway, enough for now, apols for the long email. I hope you and your
family will have a great Christmas party, and an excellent New Year. And
I hope your father is recovering well from the knee operation, and
gradually getting back on his feet again.

Thanks for all the vids, the discussions, the trips, the expos, the fun,
and the clouds, and I’ll see you again in 2018.

Best wishes from the Netherlands,

Robert
(also known as Vikram)

Here’s the latest from Brent Stafford at Regulator Watch:

No lung damage. That’s the key finding from the first of its kind long-term study investigating the health impacts of vaping.

Conducted by Dr. Riccardo Polosa, world-renowned researcher and director of the Institute for Internal Medicine & Clinical Immunology at the University of Catania in Italy, the study measured and tracked the health outcomes of a cohort of daily e-cigarette users for 3.5-years.

The results shatter the myths promulgated by public health propagandists in the Progressives’ war against vaping.

Get the story in this exclusive interview with Dr. Polosa—only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com.

Produced by: Brent Stafford

Released December 19, 2017

GET THE STUDY HERE!

WEB EXTRA!

Schizophrenia. It’s one of the most challenging mental illnesses to treat as thought, emotion and behavior is held in fine balance and is easily knocked out of whack.

Nicotine and the ritual of smoking play an enormous role in helping schizophrenia patients cope with their illness and experts say nicotine replacement products such as patches, gum and sprays are ineffective treatments.

Could vaping be a magic bullet? Find out in this exclusive interview with Dr. Riccardo Polosa, world-renowned researcher and director of the Institute for Internal Medicine & Clinical Immunology at the University of Catania in Italy.

Produced by: Brent Stafford

Released December 19, 2017

Thank you Phil. I’m 59 yrs old and started smoking when I was 18. I switched to vaping in 2011. I have viewed virtually every one of your videos and have learned a great deal about vaping equipment (tanks, Mods, and wire types and wraps). You have been a big influence in my vaping journey. Keep up the good work and have a very Merry Christmas.

After posting the video with the Stocking Contest, I was contacted by Justin of JJ Vapes.  In addition to the generous additions to the stocking, he has also offered to pay for international shipping should someone out of the US win.  In his own words…

Perhaps someone will enter who otherwise wouldn’t, knowing they couldn’t afford the shipping.

That is the kind of guy Justin is and his generosity is very much appreciated.

He also offered to send my wife another set of AirPods!  LOLOL!!

Thank you JUSTIN JONES!!