Electronic cigarette companies eager to join industry-wide collaboration for advocacy and awareness.

Washington, DC -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/15/2013 --A workshop aimed at educating members of the electronic cigarette industry and community about impending regulation was presented by the Smoke Free Alternatives Trade Association (SFATA) at the end of January. The workshop (E-Cig Summit 2013) was the first in a series designed to align and unify the electronic cigarette industry's efforts to advocate for fair and balanced regulations.

Success of the event has inspired interest from companies not previously members of SFATA. Volcano Ecigs, Digital Ciggz, Tasty Vapor, and Ecigs Equador have now joined original founding members V2 Cigs, Johnson Creek and Green Smoke in SFATA membership.

Volcano is a manufacturer and retailer headquartered out of Hawaii and perhaps known best for their versatile and powerful Lavatube. Digital Ciggz is an online retailer for all things electronic cigarette related and boasts one of the most diverse inventories on the market. Tasty is primarily an online electronic cigarette vaporizing liquid (e-liquid) retailer which offers both premium and highly customizable e-liquid flavor mixes. Ecigs Equador is a South American based electronic cigarette distributor.

As members of SFATA, these companies will receive valuable market intelligence, product testing services, and the latest news from the industry. Through membership in SFATA, these companies will be supporting research into electronic cigarettes, lobbying and advocacy on behalf of the industry, and awareness programming to grow the market of informed consumers.

“This is an opportunity that I feel a definite level of responsibility in being a part of,” says Tasty Vapor owner Geoff Braithwaite. “We’re not here to cash in on a trend. We’re here to stay, we love our customers, and we’re fully willing to participate.”

The most immediate concern for SFATA and its membership is advocacy for appropriate regulation and legislation for electronic cigarettes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may soon regulate electronic cigarettes as either tobacco products or smoking cessation devices. SFATA is not in support of either. SFATA believes that electronic cigarettes should be regulated separately in a niche category of their own. Only by putting electronic cigarettes into the inappropriate regulatory framework can the electronic cigarettes market grow without needless restrictions of their sale.

About SFATA
The Smoke Free Alternatives Trade Association is dedicated to the advocacy, education, and reputation of the electronic cigarette industry. Through its membership, SFATA builds the networks to support campaigning and research endeavors necessary to secure the future of the industry. SFATA's primary concern is the fair regulation of electronic cigarettes in a way that creates an even playing field for all companies in the market. For more information, visit SFATA.org.