Q: I’m having a hard time quitting smoking. I’ve been a heavy smoker for years and think I want to cut down by using an E-cigarette. However, I’m now reading so many comments – both negative and positive – that I don’t know if this is the best next step for me. I even hear my teen-aged children comment on wanting to try them and I can’t understand the fascination. Can you fill me in on the details?
A: Yes, I can but first let me fill you in on e-cigarettes in general. They don’t create real smoke, yet they have ignited a whole lot of controversy since they were introduced to us. E-cigarette makers base their advertising on the fact that they are safer than the alternative form of smoking, yet they still have not been approved by the FDA. If the FDA should choose to ban e-cigarettes, it won’t be the first North American agency to do so. Last month Canada banned the import or sale of e-cigarette products.
The e-cigarette is a Chinese invention that comes in many shapes and sizes. Many resemble long cigarettes, while others resemble cigars and pipes. Despite the look, they all work the same way. The user inhales through a mouthpiece. Air flow triggers a sensor that switches on a heater that is battery powered. The heater then vaporizes liquid nicotine in a small cartridge. The heater also vaporizes PEG (propylene glycol) in the cartridge. This allows the user to receive a puff of hot gas that strongly resembles tobacco smoke. When the user exhales, the vapor created looks like smoke and rapidly dissipates. There are no tobacco products in an e-cigarette but there is nicotine.
So, what are the advantages over puffing on a regular cigarette? To begin with, for those individuals that really want to kick the habit, some manufacturing firms suggest that e-cigarettes aid in the transition from cigarettes to e-ciogarettes, despite the fact that the World Health Organization has requested that marketers not make the claim. For those individuals who really don’t plan on quitting smoking, the e-cigarette will allow them to indulge in smoke-free environments such as restaurants, the workplace, and airport lounges. The switch is purported to markedly reduce the harm inflicted by their habit with some firms actually claiming that e-cigarettes help an individual quit smoking. An FDA approved nicotine inhaler by the name of Nicotrol by Pfizer is already available in pharmacies in our country. The Nicotrol inhaler is approved for smoking cessation but because e-cigarette products haven’t been reviewed by the FDA, their labeling must be modified. Their intended use must be reviewed, and all their ingredients must be reviewed.
Craig Youngblood is president of the InLife e-cigarette company. He says his products are marketed only to people who already smoke and have a nicotine addiction. And, while the president of InLife may refuse to sell products to underage users, another issue now comes into play. Some available brands are now known as Thin Mint, Tootsie Roll and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. If this isn’t a grabber for underage children, I just don’t know what is. General Mills, the Girl Scouts and Tootsie Roll Industries are just three companies of many that have sent cease-and-desist letters to makers of the liquid (synthetic) nicotine demanding they discontinue naming e-cigarette flavors with their brand names. The FDA just last month proposed regulating electronic cigarettes but failed to immediately ban fruit or candy flavors which are barred for use in regular cigarettes because of the fear the flavors might appeal to children. At this stage there are about 1,500 e-cigarette liquid makers in our country.
So, do you want to kick the habit and consider e-cigarettes? Studies have yet to demonstrate a significant benefit of e-cigarettes over available nicotine products such as gum and patches. From a personal view, I would rather suggest you attend a smoking cessation program, or try one of several patches or gums available over-the-counter. Explain to your children that while the names are appealing, the products are injurious to their health and should be avoided. Don’t let them fall into a trap they may have to struggle to get out of for many years to come.
