E-Cigarettes as Prone to Puffery As Big Tobacco

blu Cigs, an e-cigarette brand, just sponsored the first "Great American Butt Clean" on Oct. 22 — but you wouldn't guess it from the cigarette butt clean-up event's Facebook page. The page is listed as belonging to a non-profit organization, and there is no other information provided.

It's only if you read The Charlotte Observer, which promoted the event by one of Charlotte, NC's, own, or stumbled across Blu Cigs' press release, that outsiders might have known who was behind it.

"blu makes it a priority to cut down on the waste generated by traditional cigarettes. The rechargeable battery and reusable design of our e-cigs offer a less wasteful option, but it's only a first step," commented Jason Healy, President of blu. "As a Charlotte-based company, we're excited to have this opportunity to go even further by partnering with Keep Mecklenburg Beautiful for this important day of clean-up, that's sure to be a tradition for many years to come."Continue reading...