Smoke Here, Smoke There, Smoke Anywhere?

Smokeless e-Cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular

 Briana Hill

Editor-in-Chief

    E-cigarette companies say smokers can “smoke anywhere”, but should they be allowed to smoke these trendy new cigarettes just in any place?

E-cigarettes are odorless, less harmful than regular cigarettes, and are battery operated. The E-cigarettes

work by heating liquid containing nicotine which then produces vapor. They produce no secondhand smoke which is safer for everyone that is around those who are smoking. An e-cigarette can range from $60-$150 with an additional cost of $10 per flavor cartridge. The FDA has not regulated these e-cigarettes yet.

    Having a much safer and odorless solution to regular cigarettes is a huge step towards a better society for both adults and children of smokers. But the problem is that we still have people hooked on nicotine and smoking is being promoted more because there is no guilty feeling when doing so because there is no secondhand smoke.

    Another problem that arises from e-cigarettes is that they are appealing to teenagers. E-cigarettes let you smoke nicotine in different flavors. With flavors from strawberry to chocolate, teens are trying it out because they think it will taste good and they end up becoming addicted. Getting their hands on an e-cigarette is easy because they can be purchased online without needing proof of age.

    Whether these e-cigarettes should be allowed to be smoked in traditional non-smoking areas, is a constant question. The e-cigarette may not give off any odor or give any second hand smoke but what example does this set for teens and children?

    It will be like before the 1990s when smoking was allowed anywhere and was not looked down upon. Using an e-cigarette is still bad for the user so why should we promote it by letting the smokers smoke anywhere with their e-cigarettes?