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TOBACCO BUSINESS
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013
trench marketing
perspective as well as from the world at large.
“It’s in the news every week. There was a big issue in our area
two weeks ago where there was [a] public outcry about kids
under 18 getting ahold of e-cigs, but kids have been getting a
hold of tobacco since the beginning of time,” he says. “It’s just
like underage alcohol use. If we can’t stop them by demanding
identification, there’s no easy way to stop them.”
Asked whether he’s concerned that the government will
regulate the industry out of existence, Deutsch quickly responds,
“I know the FDA is trying to classify nicotine as a drug, which
is ridiculous. Why not compare nicotine to caffeine? They’re
both addictive, but if I had to choose between tar and this
[e-cigarette ingredients], I’d choose this any day of the week.
Really, if the government gets involved to regulate our industry,
it’ll be because of money. If too many people try to quit smoking
cigarettes and start using e-cigarettes to do so, the government
would start losing lots of money.
“That is our industry’s biggest challenge,” he says. “If they
classify nicotine as a drug, then they can regulate everything
else about the industry.” And almost simultaneously, a chorus
of tobacconists across a tired nation could be heard whispering
in unison, “Welcome to our world.”
TB
