President Obama signed legislation on February 4, 2009 that more than doubled the federal cigarette tax. The 62 cent increase raised the federal tax to $1.01 per pack. So far this year, 16 states have considered increasing state cigarette taxes. These increases partly come from the prolonged economic downturn, which have created budget deficits in nearly every state.  

Since White Cloud Electronic Cigarettes do not contain tobacco, our products are not subject to such tax increases.

Health Risks

According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US. In addition, smoking accounts for $167 billion, or $7 per pack, in health care expenses and productivity losses.

The use of tobacco has been proven to increase the risk of heart attack, COPD, emphysema, and many types of cancer, including lung, mouth, nasal cavities, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, and bladder cancer. 87% of lung cancer deaths can be attributed to tobacco use. More specifically, exposure to carbon monoxide, cyanide and other compounds, damage the lungs and arterial tissue which leads to emphysema and COPD.

There are over 19 known carcinogens in tobacco cigarettes. In addition to these chemicals, there are also small amounts of radioactive lead and polonium found in tobacco and tobacco smoke. These radioactive elements are absorbed by the plant from the soil, but are also captured on the sticky surface of the tobacco leaves causing more of these elements to be found in tobacco than plants without sticky leaves. Because the tar from tobacco smoke accumulates in the lungs, the radioactive compounds have a great deal of time to undergo radioactive decay before being cleared by your body.

To prevent such diseases and to curb the use of tobacco, excise taxes have been implemented on tobacco products. Currently, the federal excise tax is $.39 per pack. However, state excise taxes range from $.07 to $2.58 per pack. These taxes will most likely increase as time goes on.

White Cloud E-Cigarettes contain only nicotine, flavoring and propylene glycol (an FDA-approved food additive). There are no carcinogens, no radioactive elements and no tar.

Cost

Tobacco smokers pay more for insurance, lose money on the resale of their cars and homes, spend extra money on dry cleaning and teeth cleaning, and receive less in pension and social security benefits. Many companies have implemented programs where smokers are charged more for health-care programs, and some companies will not hire smokers at all. Only 31 states have laws that ban discrimination based on any form of legal, off-duty behavior such as smoking.

A smoker averaging about a pack of tobacco cigarettes a day will spend over $2,100 a year. That same smoker will only spend an average of $600 a year using White Cloud E-Cigarettes. In addition, you'll no longer be a tobacco user. This means that health and cleaning costs will also be significantly reduced.