The Electric Cigarette Controversy

[D.S. Tucker]

So I've been following the New Jersey and New York City chatter about banning the relatively new device, the electronic cigarette. If you're not aware what an electronic cigarette is: google or youtube it for demonstrations.

Basically, it's a cigarette substitute composed of a battery, atomizer, and nicotine cartridge that allows the user to inhale a water-like vapor with added nicotine, using it just like a regular cigarette. It looks like a cigarette, lights up like one, and blows out a "smoke" (vapor) like one.

I've been a cigarette smoker for a few years and when I saw this contraption come onto the market I was ecstatic. The problem with patches, gum, or cold turkey is that we smokers develop a lot of habits that are around our, well, habit of smoking. Sitting at a bus stop, contemplating a thesis paper, after a meal, etc. We're used to having something in our hand and seeing the smoke around us.

I, personally, love smoke.

Anyway, there has been a lot of talk about banning these devices because they could be "easily marketed to children"--they have flavors like cherry, vanilla, coffee (all of which I love, and I'm 21)--and have not gone through the FDA testing that would normally be given for a tobacco product because, well, it contains no tobacco, only nicotine, the main heavily-addictive drug.

This product has undergone and passed numerous safety tests in European countries and has passed a preliminary safety test by the FDA for safety.

My question is; do you think it's a viable, safe alternative for smokers that want to quit? Do you think that it is actively being marketed to children? Would you want to see it banned, or want to see it promoted?

[Johncoyne]

Is there an age restriction on them? And many children/teens decide to smoke to have friends and fit in. I'm not sure how cool an electric cigarette looks. For people who are trying to quit smoking, it looks great. I'm not sure how safe it is, and it should be promoted like regular cigarettes. If they're not banning normal cigarettes, they definitely won't ban these.

[newschooled]

I guess it all depends if it comes in white, or hello kitty.

[Trey]

ban electronic cigarettes because they have flavors?


Oh boy, time to ban hotdogs and lunch meat! After all, nitrates in food is one of the leading causes of breast cancer!


Did you know that in Europe, convenience stores sell REAL cigarettes that have strange flavors like that?

[rialvestro]

I do not think it's marketed to children at all. It's obviously marketed to people who want to quit smoking so unless there are child smokers trying to quit that's just stupid to think that.

As to this and any "quit smoking" product, I don't see how any of it works when you're still getting the stuff that you're addicted to. The only real way to quit is to stop useing it.

[D.S. Tucker]

John:

So far as I know, you have to prove you're 18 if you buy one of these in the mall kiosks. The online ordering, however, you just need to have a valid debit/credit card, which you can get when you're younger then 18... or you could steal/borrow your parents/older friends. So while it's not marketed to younger children, it can be sold to them. Then again, so can real cigarettes.

And there are states/counties/cities that are working on banning electric cigarettes because they're promoting the "children will use them/they'll give you cancer (like everything else won't these days, geez)" .

Newschooled:

I don't know about hello kitty, but mine come in black :-)

Trey:

The U.S. did have flavored regular cigarettes for a spell until the "flavor entices kids" line freaked out enough people that they were banned. These came out via Camel brand about three years ago. I enjoyed them and I was sad when they went away, which is one of the reasons I really like the different flavors in my e-cig.

Rialvestro:

Well, nicotine is one of the hardest drugs to overcome. I know, I've tried quitting cold turkey numerous times. The reason I've switched to the electric cigarette is because, instead of over 500 ingredients, most of them carcinogenic, I have three. I also have felt a noticeable difference in my breathing capacity.

I try very hard not to defend my addiction to cigarettes. Everyone's heard the arguments. I made a bad choice when it came to a "stress relief" drug, but at least I didn't get hooked on heroine or something.

When it comes down to the bare bones truth of it, though; I enjoy smoking. I've always liked the look and feel of them, especially when I'm out partying with my friends, and this offers me a "safer" alternative. Will it give me some nasty cancer? Probably. But with every two days a new study telling me that something I've been consuming all my life is giving me cancer... well, it seems like we're screwed no matter how healthy we try to be. It's my bad habit. Everyone has one.

[EricLeb010]

It's nicotine, it's addictive, and it's shady:

"In May 2009, the US FDA's Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis tested the contents of 19 varieties of electronic cigarette cartridges produced by two vendors (NJoy and Smoking Everywhere). Diethylene glycol was detected in one of the cartridges manufactured by Smoking Everywhere. In addition, tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) were detected in all of the cartridges from one brand and two of the cartridges from the other brand. The study found that the actual nicotine levels did not always correspond to the amount of nicotine the cartridges purported to contain. The analysis found traces of nicotine in some cartridges that claimed to be nicotine-free. Further concerns were raised over inconsistent amounts of nicotine delivered when drawing on the device. In July 2009, the FDA issued a press release discouraging the use of electronic cigarettes and repeating previously stated concerns that electronic cigarettes may be marketed to young people and lack appropriate health warnings.

It's pretty much a cigarette, and should be treated like one. I think quitting is a better alternative to finding an excuse to smoke something else. But, that's just me.

[KipEnyan]

It's definitely safer than a real cigarette, and that's a start.
Is that to say it's safe?
Absolutely not.
You're still pumping addictive chemicals into your brain, you're still messing with your lungs, and you're still hooking yourself up with some cancer.
But I think it is a viable intermediary for people who would like to cut down on the smoking, or stop harming the people around them.
It spits out vapor that dissipates much more rapidly and is much less harmful than traditional secondhand smoke, which is absurdly detrimental to the health of the children of smokers.
I think that distinction alone makes these devices more for good than evil.

[Cortney]

I like it, and I think it's a great idea.

As for it being marketed to kids, look at those candy cigarettes. At least for this electronic cigarette, I'm sure you have to be a certain age to buy it (I'm assuming it's the same age you have to be to buy cigs?).

[jmejia1187]

I don't see how a hello kitty cigarette could be a problem?
I mean, adults like hello kitty just as much as children. Don't believe me?
Check out the hello kitty vibrator:


Nuff said

[KipEnyan]

jmejia1187 said:

I don't see how a hello kitty cigarette could be a problem?
I mean, adults like hello kitty just as much as children. Don't believe me?
Check out the hello kitty vibrator:


Nuff said

I'm gonna assume that was an attempt at trolling, based largely on the fallacy of just as many adults liking hello kitty as children? Hello kitty is a children's character. Just because some adults like it, doesn't change the target demographic.

[kshults]

They actually make a hello kitty wine now... but that's beside the point, I just want to say- this is really dumb. They want to ban a non-tobacco product that is healthier than cigarettes because of flawed logic, okay, have heard a lot of flawed logic in my time, and seen people freaking out over smaller things, but seriously? This is the equivalent of getting rid of nicotine gum because kids like to chew gum.

Also, one question, inhaling water vapor isn't necessarily a good idea, is there any chance that smoking these can result in pulmonary edema?

[jmejia1187]

May 12, 2010 10:22:40 GMT -5 KipEnyan said:

jmejia1187 said:

I don't see how a hello kitty cigarette could be a problem?
I mean, adults like hello kitty just as much as children. Don't believe me?
Check out the hello kitty vibrator:


Nuff said

I'm gonna assume that was an attempt at trolling, based largely on the fallacy of just as many adults liking hello kitty as children? Hello kitty is a children's character. Just because some adults like it, doesn't change the target demographic.

Actually, it is not a fallacy, and I was not trolling. My mom liked Hello Kitty and so do I. (I am 23). While hello kitty is originally marketed towards children, the hello kitty vibrator, is obviously not marketed towards them. It is marketed towards younger adults who want pleasure, but don't want it to be blatantly obvious.

Its like video games. They are not only marketed toward kids. When I was younger older people used to say, it is a phase, they will grow out of it. This is false. I was one of the first generations to be brought up with video games (I still have my NES to prove it), and because we were one of the first, there was no proof that this was a phase. And now we have many adults liking videos games as young people. It is quickly growing to be a preferred form of entertainment. Just because Helly Kitty was originally marketed towards children doesn't mean it always has to be. Some adults like hello kitty, and so an electronic cigarette with a hello kitty on it, in my opinion, is geared towards adults with the hello kitty style in mind, and who probably have a smoking habit, and are trying to quit.

And Kit, I hardly EVER troll!

As for my mom, she loves Sanrio, which is basically a store centered around hello kitty stuff.

[KipEnyan]

May 13, 2010 10:53:44 GMT -5 @jmejia1187 said:

May 12, 2010 10:22:40 GMT -5 KipEnyan said:

I'm gonna assume that was an attempt at trolling, based largely on the fallacy of just as many adults liking hello kitty as children? Hello kitty is a children's character. Just because some adults like it, doesn't change the target demographic.

Actually, it is not a fallacy, and I was not trolling. My mom liked Hello Kitty and so do I. (I am 23). While hello kitty is originally marketed towards children, the hello kitty vibrator, is obviously not marketed towards them. It is marketed towards younger adults who want pleasure, but don't want it to be blatantly obvious.

Its like video games. They are not only marketed toward kids. When I was younger older people used to say, it is a phase, they will grow out of it. This is false. I was one of the first generations to be brought up with video games (I still have my NES to prove it), and because we were one of the first, there was no proof that this was a phase. And now we have many adults liking videos games as young people. It is quickly growing to be a preferred form of entertainment. Just because Helly Kitty was originally marketed towards children doesn't mean it always has to be. Some adults like hello kitty, and so an electronic cigarette with a hello kitty on it, in my opinion, is geared towards adults with the hello kitty style in mind, and who probably have a smoking habit, and are trying to quit.

And Kit, I hardly EVER troll!

As for my mom, she loves Sanrio, which is basically a store centered around hello kitty stuff.

Video games and Hello Kitty are different beasts entirely.
Video games are a wide genre of things.
Hello Kitty is a cute little cartoon cat.

There are some video games marketed towards kids, and some marketed towards adults. Some towards casual, and some towards hardcore gamers, etc. The point is, the messages they carry with them are directed towards their obvious target demographic.

Once again, Hello Kitty is a cute little cartoon cat. There is no shedding that the target demographic is little kids. Now, am I saying I wouldn't take a shot of Power Rangers 100 Power Proof Vodka? No. In fact, if that exists, someone hook me up.

I'm just saying, people need to be mindful of what labels they attach to things. I'm not inherently opposed to childish labels being associated to non-child-appropriate things, I think that should be the responsibility of proper education and decision making skills, I'm just saying don't try to paint it as something it's not.

Hello Kitty is a children's character. No getting around it.

[jmejia1187]

Another view:

There are now hello kitty guns and grenades. Yes the cartoon is marketed towards kids.
But the hello kitty character itself spans generations, as proven by the wine, and vibrator and the cigarette.

[TheIslander]

I don't know what hellokitty has to do with this topic, take it somewhere else.

Most smokers do not want to quit smoking so I don't think this product is targeted to (only) those who want to quit smoking. With that said it is still a healthier alternative, to cigarettes.
I don't know why you would relate this to children, of course it will get (much) more people smoking. Generally, people who don't smoke do not because they 'hate the smell' the smell which is the tabacco smell, without that there is nothing to hate.

So what if children smoke e-cigarettes? Whats wrong with that?

[The Monster]

I think it should remain on the market because first off it's 150$ which is quite expensive for teenager oppose to other stimulants. Secondly as was said earlier the product is only sold to those 18 or older and thirdly I personally can't see this product being marketed like cigarettes which are sold on the streets, at school or in a struggling convenience store.

[jmejia1187]

May 6, 2010 19:09:48 GMT -5 newschooled said:

I guess it all depends if it comes in white, or hello kitty.

This is where the Hello Kitty thing comes from

[Cortney]

The discussion was moving over from just the cigarettes to using childish characters on adult items. It's fine to get off topic, as long as the discussion is still intelligent and not LOL BUTTS or something.

Yeah! I like this! Continue! =)

[KipEnyan]

May 14, 2010 17:14:58 GMT -5 TheIslander said:

I don't know what hellokitty has to do with this topic, take it somewhere else.

Most smokers do not want to quit smoking so I don't think this product is targeted to (only) those who want to quit smoking. With that said it is still a healthier alternative, to cigarettes.
I don't know why you would relate this to children, of course it will get (much) more people smoking. Generally, people who don't smoke do not because they 'hate the smell' the smell which is the tabacco smell, without that there is nothing to hate.

So what if children smoke e-cigarettes? Whats wrong with that?

Woaaaah... What? People who don't smoke do it because they hate the smell of tobacco? What the hell...
I don't smoke, but I rather enjoy the smell of cigarettes, care to explain that paradox in your logic?

And so what if children smoke e-cigarettes? Do you not care about the health of children at all?

Sorry if I sound like I'm personally attacking, I do not mean to be, it's just that that post through me for a bewildering loop.