Why Big Tobacco’s Heat-Not-Burn “Vapes” are Not Ecigarettes

Innovation is the name of the game when it comes to the ecigarette industry. Since ecigarettes first came on to the scene, vapers have created a demand for new and improved vaping devices that has driven a surge of technological innovation targeted at e-cigarette and tobacco users.Recently, an entirely new category of smokeless technology has entered the scene: Heat-Not-Burn (HNB) tobacco products. It seems like all the biggest players in the tobacco industry are testing out new heat-not-burn technologies, including Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco, and Reynolds American.

Although HNB products are marketed and often discussed in the media as a new form of “vaping,” they actually have very little in common with ecigarettes. The biggest difference is that, unlike ecigarettes, HNB products heat actual tobacco leaves.

What is a Heat-Not-Burn Cigarette?

The media has made a habit of referring to heat-not-burn cigarettes as “ecigarettes” or “vaping.” While not technically incorrect, this is misleading, as heat-not-burn cigarettes are a completely different product from ecigarettes as we know them.We’ve already covered the most obvious difference between them: heat-not-burn cigarettes contain tobacco leaves, while e-cigarettes contain eliquid. But there are many other differences between the technologies, and HNB cigarettes work in a very different way.According to Philip Morris, “The concept behind ‘Heat-not-Burn’ is that heating tobacco, rather than burning it, reduces or eliminates the formation of many of the compounds that are produced at the high temperatures associated with combustion.”This tobacco vapor they create is very different from the tobacco-less aerosol that ecigarettes produce. Also, unlike many ecigarettes which can be used over days or weeks until the e-liquid is depleted, HNB cigarette “capsules” are one-use-only.

Thanks to Vaping, Non-Combustibles Are InOne of the great things the ecigarette industry can be thanked for is creating a whole new market for alternative and reduced-risk tobacco products.Vaping exploded in popularity largely because it is a smokeless alternative that eliminates the combustion and smoke that comes with smoking traditional cigarettes. As a result, consumer demand for smokeless products has led to a resurgence in research and innovation in alternative tobacco products like heat-not-burn devices.This is good news, because more options means a higher likelihood that smokers can find an alternative that works for them. However, ecigarettes are a special case, because they offer the potential to take tobacco entirely out of the equation.Even with HNB devices, Vaping is Still the FuturePast efforts by tobacco companies to promote HNB cigarettes have failed, largely because cigarettes and the image of smoking were so deeply ingrained in society.But now, things are different. Vaping has totally re-written the rules, and now millions of smokers are looking for alternatives to smoking away their lives and health.Much of the ill-advised restrictions and regulations that make vaping less accessible to smokers comes from a misunderstanding of what the technology is and does. By spreading the truth about vaping and helping others understand the difference between ecigarettes and other tobacco products, we can come closer to a future where everyone has the right to vape.

*Featured image from Flickr