Living in a college town, it is not a strange sight to see huddles of people standing outside of bars or just walking down the street lighting up and smoking cigarettes. It is a habit that can start because “everyone else is doing it,” and it escalates from a social habit to addiction. It is not a secret that cigarettes are bad for you. You cannot turn on the television without seeing one of those “Truth” commercials singing musical arrangements about how cigarettes hurt your lungs and unborn babies. Anyone who has purchased a pack of cigarettes has seen the huge surgeon general’s warning about the dangers of smoking, and the saying “second hand smoke kills” has also been thrown around. Measures have been taken to lessen the places where smokers can go to light up. Many states have stopped smoking in restaurants and bars. The price of cigarettes has also risen to practically $7 for one pack. People who are looking for alternatives have a few options. They can just quit, which leaves them various patches, gums and even pills to try to curve their craving for nicotine. There is also chewing tobacco, which is not the most attractive of habits to pick up; it’s not the same type of feeling as holding a cigarette and involves spitting a brown substance from your mouth. But there is a new option out that may change smoking: electronic cigarettes.
According to a Reuters article, more than half of the people interviewed think electronic cigarettes should be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, while only 47 percent think that it should be offered to smokers who are looking to quit. This little electronic device is a battery-powered, re-chargeable cigarette that doesn’t produce the harmful smoke that real cigarettes do. It vaporizes a liquid nicotine solution and produces an odorless water vapor. They are sold mostly on the Internet and are made in China.
The option of smoking electronic cigarettes is more appealing because it is a one-time purchase and you may end up saving money. The companies who make these e-cigs make profit from having the customer buy the filter and flavor fillers; other than that, it is about a $60 purchase of the actual cigarette and you never have to run to the convenience store again.
The study showed that the groups of people most likely to try the electronic cigarettes were young people ages 18 to 29 and singles. Younger people are most likely the ones to integrate electronic cigarettes in their lives more easily because they are always trying out new technology. They are also already living a life where routinely they are charging computers, phones and video game systems. This would just be one more thing to plug into and keep on your nightstand when you go to bed. People would have them charging next to their Blackberrys and other electronic devices that they need to get them through their day.
A smokeless cigarette seems like a good idea that might be a good option for a safer cigarette, but not to everyone. The World Health Organization has warned against the use of these e-cigs because the user is inhaling nicotine into their lungs. Because it is an electronic device, other glitches in how they work can also occur. The popular electronic cigarette brand Blu has recalled their product because of battery pack problems. There is the risk that the battery pack will rupture and the Blu pack will overheat, causing the lithium polymer battery to break. They have asked for an immediate stop of the use of their original product. Something about a lithium battery exploding makes it seem like the safest option might just be to use regular cigarettes — even though the smoke is damaging your lungs, it isn’t a battery exploding in your mouth.
The search for a safer cigarette will never be over. Even though electronic cigarettes produce no harmful smoke, there is still nicotine vapor being sucked into your lungs. The safest cigarette is no cigarette at all. This e-cigarette idea might be a way to start weaning people off traditional cigarettes, but it won’t be safer or help people quit completely. It can be the starter version for the patch. You still get the feeling like you are smoking but it is not the real thing.
Safety concerns aside, electronic cigarettes would never catch on the way traditional cigarettes have in American culture. It might just come down to the fact that e-cigarettes are too complicated to set and then re-charge. Smokers are usually smoking to relax because they are stressed or because of the social setting they are in. They want a quick fix to their nicotine craving; they don’t want to have to set up a filter and charge a battery. Plus, there is also the problem with the battery dying when they are really craving a cigarette. It might be something cool to try once, but when it comes to convenience and the feeling people want or need while smoking, traditional cigarettes are the way people are going to go.
31 comments
It would give Socrates cancer to try to respond to all of the logical fallacies you just made. The "OPINION" editorial cites a study by WHO and the FDA and you and all of your buddies(or should I say sock-puppet accounts?) keep citing anecdotal evidence.
Its one thing to respect your(all of your?) opinions but its another thing to raid a news site and saturate the comments section with ill-informed opinion. I suggest you also respect my opinion by not making wide generalizations and false claims about me and my University, people and organizations you, undoubtedly, have no knowledge about.
Also, please, don't stop smoking cigarettes or even e-cigs, obviously, it's good for you and will probably be good for society.
If we need to get a life - then You need to get an education!
I don't know who you are, but if your going to write an article do a little research that way you won't put your WHOLE foot in your mouth.
By ??? Rubbish Man