BY HAILEY MERKT
A thick cloud of water vapour escaped from his chapped lips, rolling into the still air.
“It’s totally safe,” he said to his curious friend.
He brought it back to his winter-worn lips, took a long hard drag, paused, and slowly exhaled a ghostly fog.
“Try it,” he insisted, passing it over.
The friend smiled, took the e-cigarette between her two standard-smoker fingers and began to inhale.
“Tastes like cherry pie, doesn’t it?” he asked.
Coughing, the friend replied, “Just like it.”
The electronic cigarette (also known as an e-cig, e-smoke or e-dart) was invented in the ’60s, but has only caught on in the past decade.
It is a battery-powered device, which simulates a real smoking experience by producing an electronically-heated water vapour to line your lungs.
The selling feature for most is that an e-cig contains about 4,000 less chemicals than an actual cigarette.
This new-aged invention contains pharmaceutical grade nicotine, Propylene Glycol, food flavouring and water.
So yes, the e-cig is a “healthier” alternative.
However, scientists worry about the possible future repercussions that might come with filling your lungs full of nicotine-enhanced vapour over an extended period of time.
The product hasn’t been tested long enough to determine its long-term effects.
The e-cig might just be the best new-aged invention to date, for all the wrong reasons.
It allows people to “smoke” anywhere, anytime.
It’s even attracting a bunch of first-time smokers, known as “vapors.” The e-cig is merely part of the tech-savvy world we have all become so reliant on. It is replacing cigarettes with a new costly addiction.
According to the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, “starter kits usually run between $30 and $100. The estimated cost of replacement cartridges is about $600, compared with the more than $1,000 a year it costs to feed a pack-a-day tobacco cigarette habit.”
Craig Wood, sales associate at Waterloo Esmoke, said the product is being sold as “an alternative to smoking.”
However, it’s feeding the smoking sensation, tricking your mind into thinking it has what it wants — cheating the system in a way.
You might not be a smoker per se, but you’re still relying on something to give you that quick fix.
If you truly want to quit smoking, this is not the best approach. Instead, consult your physician for help. And don’t be afraid to try and try again.
What is Journalism?