When all else failed, e-cigarette may help smokers quit the habit. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), electronic cigarettes are a reasonable option for people who are unable to kick their cigarette addiction despite trying approved smoke cessation methods – counselling and use of nicotine chewing gums and patches.
Electronic cigarettes are battery-operated vaporizers that simulate tobacco smoking. The device uses an atomizer that vaporizes e-liquid and producing a smoke-like aerosol. They have been sold in the U.S. since 2007 and has grown into nearly $2 billion-industry in annual sales worldwide.
Present Potential
This technological advancement could be the solution to lower the US smoking rate, in fact, it already has started doing so and not just in America. Europe is seeing its’ fair share of millions of smokers switching over. Critics may frown, but even if nicotine is added in e-cigs, regular exposure has little deleterious effects to the health of bystanders. This is because the liquid that makes vapor, mainly use FDA-approved propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine, the same ingredients found in common toiletries, cosmetics, medicines, and food.
E-cigs are known to contain nitrosamines or carcinogens in trace amounts, but these are just comparable to nicotine patches and lower than regular cigarettes. If there are cadmium, lead and nickel, these metals are also in negligible amounts not considered toxic. They register a much higher effectiveness than nicotine patches, and they provide a physical and psychological fix like no other. A study published in the Lancet confirms the advantages of smokeless cigarettes over patches and gums.
Those who want to kick the habit can have an easier time with vaporizing because these smoke cessation aids let them have the same visual, tactile and physical experiences associated with smoking. The only thing missing is the tightening of the chest because there are no tar and soot to pollute the lungs.
Tighter Marketing Regulations
While the AHA acknowledges them as an effective smoking cessation tool, the organization continues to call for a strong regulatory framework on how they should be marketed. The American Cancer Society (ACS) quietly supports AHA’s stance and similarly stress the need to regulate e-cigarettes. Both groups, however, admit that they are an effective option for people who have tried many other aids and techniques, but failed.
There is also some fear that the young generation can be enticed by e-cigs who are drawn to the glamorous e-cig ad campaigns and kiddie flavors like cotton candy, strawberry and sour apple. Tighter regulations on e-cigarette marketing should be able to prevent the spawning of the next generation of smokers.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over 250,000 youth have already tried smokeless vaporizer. There is wisdom in FDA’s proposal to extend the federal ban on sales of tobacco products and e-cigarettes to minors.
The Controversy
Whether they should be regulated, and to what extent, is an ongoing hot issue debated by international regulatory agencies. Despite the fears, there are no sufficient evidences to compel authorities to regulate this alternative nicotine administrating type of device. One thing is clear, it offers less risks for smokers and the passive smokers around them. For smokers who tried other aids and techniques but failed, these vaporizers offer the advantage of delivering nicotine without the usual dangers that usually accompany tobacco smoking.
As US death toll from tobacco use scales up to 20 million over the past 50 years, AHA continues to advocate the use of FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy products to quit smoking. But, if all have failed, vaporizing can be your last resort; they are a safer source of nicotine that offers fewer risks to your health and the general public. No one can decide for you if you want to stop smoking, but like everyone else, nicotine poses a challenge, and at least now you have an alternative way of consuming it.