E-Cigeratte Allows Smokers to Light Up Anywhere
What you would see coming from an electronic cigarette is not smoke. It’s a vapor created by mixing water, flavoring and nicotine with the heat of a battery similar to that found in your cell phone.
“You get to smoke this anywhere, anytime, anyplace.” said John Wiesehan, Jr., President, TSC Group. ”It’s a much better economic value for you as a consumer.”
The president of the distributorship for the e-cigarette brand NJOY says they only market the product towards current smokers, and it should not be used as a stop smoking aid.
But other manufacturers do claim e-cigarettes can help smokers quit by giving them their nicotine fix without the harmful chemicals. Not everyone agrees.
“It should not be marketed presently,” said Dr. Cheryl Healton, President, American Legacy Foundation. ”FDA should exert its control over it, its authority over it. It is a nicotine delivery device.”
There have been no independent studies on the e-cigarette, and so far, the FDA has not taken a look at it.
“We do not know what is in it,” said Healton. ”We do not know if when what is in it is brought into the lungs repeatedly, it is safe for the lungs?”
There are also concerns the different flavor options appeal to children or could inspire former smokers to pick up the habit again, but e-cigarette manufacturers say their studies show the product is safe.
“People that smoke today they’re going to smoke, because they like to smoke,” said Wiesehan. ”Unfortunately, five million of them die from the current cigarette they smoke. This is an alternative to that.”
FDA officials say e-cigarettes are not approved for marketing in the U.S., and they are looking at each product on a case-by-case basis. However, they have not been reviewed by the agency for safety and effectiveness.
A Florida-based e-cigarette manufacturer is currently seeking a restraining order against the FDA claiming the agency does not have the authority to regulate their product.
It costs $150 to start using e-cigarettes, and it’s roughly $20 for refill cartridges, which manufacturers say are equivalent to a carton of cigarettes.
Source: Wrcbtv
