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10 SMOKESHOP February 2016 E. Edward Hoyt III Editor & Associate Publisher Lily Coleman Art Director YiLing Yen Assistant Art Director Melinda Ayala Production Coordinator Zachery Bridgeman Editorial Assistant Thomas Briant Editorial Contributors Bryan Haynes Craig Williamson LOCKWOOD TRADE JOURNAL CO., INC. Robert Lockwood President & Publisher Frederick Lockwood Vice President Rob Lockwood Executive Director Jamie Wolberg Events/Circulation Manager Roxanne Cordova-Melendez Accountant Yvonne Viruet Receptionist SMOKESHOP MAGAZINE Lockwood Trade Journal Co., Inc. 3743 Crescent Street, 2nd Floor Long Island City, NY 11101 Tel: (212) 391-2060, Fax: (212) 827-0945 Website: www.smokeshopmag.com Editorial submissions: Send new product announcements, corporate news, calendar events, letters to the editor, or story ideas to The Editor, editor@smokeshopmag.com SMOKESHOP (ISSN 0146-9266 print edition; ISSN 2331-8562 online digital edition), established in 1970, is published bimonthly (February, April, June, August, October, and December) by Lockwood Trade Journal Co., Inc., 3743 Crescent St., 2nd Floor, Long Island City, NY 11101 U.S.A. Postage paid at New York, NY and at additional mail- ing offices. Annual sub scrip tion rates: United States, $24; Canada, $34; all other countries $49 by surface or $69 by airmail, payable in advance. Copyright ©2016 by Lockwood Trade Journal Co., Inc. The contents of SMOKESHOP, and all articles, illustrations, photos, etc. are copyrighted and may not be reprinted except by permission. CPC agreement number 1477773. POSTMASTER: Please send all address changes to SMOKESHOP Magazine, P.O. Box 385, Congers, N.Y. 10920-9985 Single Issue: US$15 T H E I N D U S T RY A U T H O R I T Y O N T O B A C C O R E TA I L I N G Official Publication of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association Member: International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR); National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO); Tobacco- nists' Association of America (TAA); Cigar Rights of America (CRA). LETTER Editor's Vape Industry Turns to Education Amid Rising Public Concern Over Battery Safety T here is very little concrete data or details behind the increasingly frequent media reports of exploding vaping devices and resulting injuries, due largely to the fact that vaping isn't currently regulated at the federal level. The shear number appears to be quite small: the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association (TVECA) told NBC News Chicago it was aware of 10 cases in the U.S. in 2015. But with mass media turning its attention to these occurrences, generating headlines further questioning the overall safety of vaping, and legal action being directed at the entire supply chain, from manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, and retailers, it's wise for the industry to address this head on. While tempting for media to lump together, discussions about where vaping falls on the "continuum of risk" versus combustible or smokeless tobacco products is an entirely different issue than the inherent mechanical safety of the electronic devices themselves. In the latter case, the core of the issue relates to the rechargeable lithium ion batteries used in the devices, and the circumstances of recharging the batteries. This is an issue with lithium ion batteries—first introduced by Sony in 1991—and applies to all sorts of consumer products, from cameras to cell phones to laptops. Disposable/ non-rechargeable vaping devices are essentially a moot point, a fact entirely overlooked in mass media reporting. Focus seems to be increasingly directed at specific concerns: improper recharging practices and use of inappropriate chargers, and tech-oriented users who modify or build vaporizers from scratch, introducing a whole set of additional variables. Fire safety experts site a lack of regulation over vaping as an open door to such problems. The one federal agency that is only moments away from regulating the vaping sector—the U.S. Food & Drug Administration—hasn't indicated whether battery and electronic safety is part of its intended scope of oversight. Neither subject was included in its proposed deeming regulations, and the wealth of current knowledge regarding lithium ion battery safety Vaping associations and manufacturers are increasingly weighing in on the issue, and the key takeaway is that consumers too easily mix and match USB chargers. Recommendations are increasingly very specific: only use the charger designed specifically for the vaping device, one that has charging limit technology built in to prevent overcharging the battery. Do not use cell phone chargers, USB ports on computers, or USB car chargers of any kind. E. Edward Hoyt III Corrections & Omissions Due to a production error, a photo credit failed to appear in the previous issue of Smokeshop. Daren Henning was the photographer of the photo of Deadwood Tobacco Company, Deadwood, S.D. that appeared on the cover and on page 32 of the December 2015 issue of Smokeshop. Henning was also the photographer of the shop's bar photo that was featured on page 33 of the same issue. Official Publication of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) December 2015 DEADWOOD TOBACCO Business is Sweet in Deadwood, S.D. Plus: > NEW PRODUCTS CLEARED BY FDA: Green Light for Swedish Match's General Snus > A BIG TURNAROUND: The Renaissance of Traditional Pipe Tobacco > THE BIG WAIT: All eyes on OMB as FDA Deeming Regulations Enter Final Steps PRSRTD STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 182 MIDLAND MI T H E I N D U S T R Y A U T H O R I T Y O N T O B A C C O R E T A I L I N G SS_DEC15_CVR_001.indd 1 1/27/16 8:41 AM SS_DEC15.CVR1_nobox.pdf 1 3/23/16 4:05 PM