1930: The first documented reference to an electronic cigarette is a patent granted to Joseph Robinson in 1930 (filed in 1927).It was never commercialized and it is not entirely clear that even a prototype of this primitive device was manufactured.1960s: Herbert A. Gilbert is generally credited with the creation of the first device that closely resembled the modern e-cigarette.He reports receiving a patent in 1965 (filed in 1963) and created prototypes (possibly never including nicotine), but failed to commercialize it.He attributes this failure the companies who might have commercialized it preferring to wait for the patent to expire rather than license it, though it is not clear whether it had commercial potential at the time.1979-80s: Starting in 1979, Phil Ray, one of the pioneers of computers, worked with his personal physician Norman Jacobson to create the first commercialized variation on the e-cigarette (which was not actually electronic; it relied on evaporation of the nicotine).

They performed the first known formal research in the field on nicotine delivery.The commercialization of the product reached major retailers.But the device was never a promising technology for nicotine delivery; Jacobson attributes its failure to it being inherently faulty.aquamizer vaporizerWhile the device proved to be a dead-end, the inventors did contribute the verb “vape” to the language.fuzion vaporizer avr 500 instructions1990s: Numerous patents for nicotine inhaler devices were filed throughout the 20th century and early 2000s by both tobacco companies and individual inventors, with a flurry of activity in the 1990s.fuzion vaporizer dvr 500 review

Many relied on evaporation or physical propulsion, but a few were fairly similar to modern e-cigarettes.One chemical-reaction based system that was invented in the 1990s is still in the pipeline.tristick vaporizer dx2Reynolds brought to market the Eclipse “heat-not-burn” device, whose functioning falls somewhere in between that of a pure nicotine inhaler and a combusted cigarette.dx4 vaporizer wiki(See also Philip Morris’s Accord.)hjemmelavet vaporizerProducts closely resembling modern e-cigarettes moved toward commercialization in the 1990s (example).tobacco company requested permission from FDA (which did not then regulate tobacco products, but did regulate drug delivery devices) to bring a version of an e-cigarette to market c.1998.

FDA denied the request on the basis of it being an unapproved drug delivery device.This may explain the disappearance of the attempts to bring an e-cigarette to market, though the history of what happened is rather murky, and the U.S.ruling does not fully explain the disappearance of the technology elsewhere.2003: What would become the first commercially successful electronic cigarette is created in Beijing, China by Hon Lik, a 52 year old pharmacist, inventor and smoker.He reportedly created the device after his father, also a heavy smoker, dies of lung cancer.(It is not clear the extent to which his was a de novo rederivation of the technology and to what extent he was drawing upon prior art; he failed to cite much prior art in his patent applications.)The company Lik worked for, Golden Dragon Holdings, developed the device and changed its name to Ruyan, which means “like smoke.” April 2006: Electronic cigarettes introduced to Europe.2006-2007: Electronic cigarettes introduced to the U.S.

(The first import ruling locatable in the U.S.Customs and Border Protection website database is dated August 22, 2006.NY M85579) March 2008: Turkey’s Health Ministry suspends the sale of e-cigarettes.Health Ministry Drugs and Pharmacy Director, Mahmut Tokaç, claims electronic cigarettes are just as harmful as regular cigarettes.The vice president of the Foundation Combating Smoking in Turkey, Kiyas Güngör, claims that “nicotine is the most dangerous element among 4,800 poisonous chemicals in cigarettes.” (See discussion here re 2008 decision.Currently, e-cigarettes cannot be sold in stores in Turkey although they can be purchased online.Actual legal status at present is unclear.)September 2008: The World Health Organization (WHO) proclaims that it does not consider the electronic cigarette to be a legitimate smoking cessation aid and demands that marketers immediately remove from their materials any suggestions that the WHO considers electronic cigarettes safe and effective.

(See WHO September 19, 2008 press release here.)October 2008:  In a study funded by Ruyan, Health New Zealand conducts a detailed quantitative analysis and concludes that carcinogens and toxicants are present only below harmful levels.On the basis of the findings, the e-cigarette is rated several orders of magnitude (100 to 1000 times) less dangerous than smoking tobacco cigarettes.The nicotine dose is comparable to that of a medicinal nicotine inhaler.Overall, the product tested was deemed a “safe alternative to smoking.” prohibits sale of electronic tobacco products on its website.November 2009: New Jersey State legislators pass a bill including electronic cigarettes in the state’s public smoking ban.December 2009: NJOY announces it is discontinuing, in the U.S., the availability of all flavors except its traditional tobacco flavor and menthol.The move aligns the flavors offered by NJOY with those allowed for combustible tobacco cigarettes under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

(NJOY’s corporate policy on flavors changed in 2014 with, among other things, its release of a premium line of e-liquid, as discussed here.)January 2010: On January 14, 2010, Judge Leon grants the injunction sought by Smoking Everywhere/Sottera prohibiting the FDA from seizing e-cigarettes as drug or drug/device combinations.Judge Leon issues a 32-page memorandum opinion explaining the ruling.April 2010:  CASAA and others help persuade Illinois legislators not to pass SB 3174, a law which would ban the sale of e-cigarettes in the state.September 2010: Oral arguments before the U.S Court of Appeals in SE vs.October 2010: First VapeFest is held in UK.December 2010: Smoking Everywhere v. FDA, U.S.Court of Appeals in Washington rules the FDA can only regulate e-cigarettes as a tobacco product, unless therapeutic claims are made.(The order is here and the 25-page decision is here.)February 2011: Study is published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reporting that electronic cigarettes are a promising tool to help smokers quit, producing six-month abstinence rates that are better than those for traditional nicotine replacement products.

April 2011: FDA announces it will regulate e-cigarettes as it currently regulates traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products under the Food Drug and Cosmetics Act.However, any e-cigarette products advertising claims of helping the user to stop smoking or providing any other health benefit will be more strictly regulated as a drug or medical device.May 2011:  Argentina passes resolution 3226/2011 banning the importation, distribution, commercialization and advertising of e-cigarettes and paraphernalia related to them.(See here for an unofficial translation followed by a copy of the original untranslated document.)June 2011: First Vapestock held in Clearwater Beach, FL.August 2011: Study published in the journal “Addiction” provides strong evidence that electronic cigarettes are being used with success by many smokers to quit smoking or cut down substantially on the number of cigarettes they consume, and that e-cigarettes are being used with success by many ex-smokers to remain off cigarettes.

Inspector General’s office issued an “Early Alert” letter to Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding whether the CDC was illegally using federal funds tied to wellness programs to encourage local communities to adopt a bevy of tobacco restrictions.( site, the full file which can be downloaded here.)Reynolds, through its pharmaceutical subsidiary Niconovum, launches Zonnic gum (a nicotine-replacement therapy) in test markets in Des Moines, IA.December 2012:  FDA holds a public hearing, and several members of industry as well as consumers and consumer representatives made presentations.CASAA issues a Call to Awareness as well as a Call to Action in connection with this hearing.FDA delayed publishing many of the comments for more than a year, which comments can be viewed here.January 2013:  A petition to the White House is created to “prevent the FDA from regulating or banning the sale and use of electronic cigarettes, accessories and associated liquids.”  While not created by CASAA, CASAA urged its members to sign the petition.

The petition gained the required number of signatures (25,000), and a response from FDA was published in April 2014, which advocates characterized as largely nonresponsive.(FDA’s response can be seen here.)This is the second community-supported White House petition effort, the first being in 2011 when the threshold for signatures was 5,000.March 2013:  American E-Liquid Manufacturing Association (AEMSA) attends its first listening session with FDA.April 2013:  Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Jack Reed (D-RI) send a letter to FDA urging FDA to issue deeming regulations to exert regulatory authority over cigars, pipe tobacco, electronic cigarettes, and dissolvable tobacco products.May 2013:  CASAA launches its Testimonials Project to collect success stories from smokers who used smoke-free alternatives to quit or reduce their smoking.This public collection of success stories was created as a powerful response to those who want to restrict access to e-cigarettes and other smoke-free products.

CASAA’s goal is to present a large collection of compelling individual reports that will make it impossible for anyone to claim that substitution of low-risk alternatives (e-cigarettes, snus, and other smoke-free tobacco/nicotine products) is not a proven method for quitting smoking.February 2014:  Altria announces it will launch its MarkTen vapor product nationwide in the second quarter of 2014.Also announces its purchase of Green Smoke, Inc.for $110 million in cash (subject to closing adjustments) and up to $20 million in incentive payments.May 2014: CASAA releases an overview of its Action Plan regarding proposed FDA regulations December 2014: First of three FDA workshops held, this one being on the physical characteristics of e-cigarettes.(You can find the transcript of that workshop here.)CASAA issues Call to Action March 2015.January 2015: CASAA relaunches its testimonials project and creates new website for its tobacco harm reduction success stories collection.February 2015: Center for Environmental Health announces it is initiating legal action against 19 companies for alleged California Proposition 65 violations.

(See here for analysis of the lawsuit.)April 2015: Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) holds a public hearing on Swedish Match’s modified risk tobacco product application (MRTP filed August 2014).TPSAC could not reach a consensus.Among other things, Swedish Match proposed replacing the warning that “This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes” with the statement, “No tobacco product is safe, but this product presents substantially lower risks to health than cigarettes.” Four of the eight TPSAC members felt that the evidence presented did not support the alternate warning label.May 2015:  Indiana passes HB 1432, which, among other things, prohibits e-liquid manufacturers (whether in-state or out-of-state) from selling products to retailers and distributors in Indiana without a permit.(See CASAA Indiana Call to Action issued in March 2015 for more details.)The permit would require compliance with burdensome and expensive manufacturing and security protocols that may be impossible to meet.