Premier was a smokeless cigarette released in the United States in 1988 by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. It worked by heating and aerosolizing tobacco flavour and was intended to reduce or eliminate the unhealthy side effects associated with smoking, both to the smoker and to the people around the smoker. citation needed

The project took several years to develop at a cost of more than $325 million. citation needed

While RJR itself questioned whether the device functioned adequately as a nicotine delivery device, activists derided it for its potential for use in delivery of other drugs. citation needed It never achieved popularity, as smokers complained about a charcoal like aftertaste, and although it looked like a conventional cigarette, special instructions were required to teach smokers how to light it. RJR estimated that it would take two or three packs for a smoker to acquire a taste for Premier, but in practice many smokers only smoked one cigarette and shared the rest of the pack. It was withdrawn from the market in 1989, less than a year after its introduction.

R.J. Reynolds reintroduced the concept behind the Premier cigarette as the Eclipse brand in the 1990s.

References edit

E-cigarette crackdown coming? – abc news

Any good canadian brands that are cheap? – cigarette forum & smokers community

By Richard Davies
daviesnow
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Apr 14, 2014 9 05am

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Morning Money Memo

Pressure is growing for federal regulation of the booming e cigarette industry. Supporters say e cigs help people quit the habit, giving them the nicotine they crave without the unhealthy smoke of traditional cigarettes. But a new congressional report written largely by staffers for Democratic senators and House members says concerns about electronic cigarettes underscore the need for regulation. Industry critics say an array of flavors and marketing might appeal to young people. There are no age restrictions and no uniform warning labels. Electronic cigarettes are battery powered devices that heat a nicotine solution and create vapor that’s inhaled. A 2009 law gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco products. The agency first said it planned to assert authority over e cigarettes in 2011 but has yet to do so.

Google wants retailers to know exactly what they’re getting when spending large amounts of money on Internet advertising. The online search and advertising leader is reportedly partnering with half a dozen retailers to match tracking cookies on users’ computers to in store sales information. “The company’s new pilot program involves AdWords, its biggest advertising program, in which advertisers place links next to Internet search results,” reports The Wall Street Journal. Google makes money when computer users click on an ad and visit the advertiser’s website. The new program might help brick and mortar retailers link the effectiveness of online advertising to sales in their stores.

Google will sell Google Glass eyewear for $1,500 for one day only. Then the offer will be withdrawn. Glass will go on sale Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. ET. It’ll be first come first serve, but Google hasn’t said how many they’ll make available.

The first quarter corporate earnings season kicks into high gear this week with more than 50 large companies reporting results. The data could have a big impact on the volatile stock market. Last week was ugly for many investors. The high technology dominated Nasdaq is down more than 8 percent from its early March high. Friday was only the second time this year the index has closed below the 4,000 mark. International stock markets fell today after two days of U.S. declines and forecasts of lower corporate profits.

Tensions over violence in Eastern Ukraine are a drag on global markets, especially European stocks. Wholesale oil prices rose to $104 for West Texas crude. Ukraine put its military on alert after pro Russian gunmen seized control of government buildings in the east.

Richard Davies Business Correspondent ABC News Radio Twitter daviesnow

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