During the recent Tobacco Merchants Association 97th Annual Meeting, Ecig Advanced was able to interview the CEO of Lorillard (makers of the number 2 selling cigarette in america Newport) Murray Kessler to discuss the acquisition of Blu cigs, the number one selling ecig manufacturer in america.  Ecig advanced posted the video of their interview as well as their viewpoints on the Annual Meeting itself.

What I found interesting about the video is Kessler was very optimistic.  His statements were very telling of the worries of the ecig community and his outlook on ecigs in general was very open and seemed genuine.  His statements did not seem purposely obscure or misleading.  Some of the points he addressed was reaffirming the public view on ecigs and to Lorillards commitment to ecigs growth.  I was impressed not only wth the amount of research they did before the purchase (That seems to be a given with big companies) but how involved he was personally.  His knowledge of the industrys growth and marketing power helped my conspiracy radar pull back to “hopefully optimistic”.

Kessler also mentioned a point I was hopeful about.  The fact that the tobacco industry has worked with the FDA in so many cases, they can help ecigs bypass the legislature re-tape a new product can get lost in like ecigs.  He also mentioned what the ecig community has watched closely; the “knee jerk reactions” from state legislators.  Kessler would like to help educate the law making bodies on ecigs using the vast knowledge that has been accumulated by Lorillard and Kessler to guide ecigs in this murky water.

Plus, Kessler actually sounded excited about the future of ecigs, about making them available everywhere and about how they have already committed to promoting Blu heavily so it is accessible to those that want them where they want them.

See the full interview and video here.


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