Smoking bans are running rampant, not just in the US, but across the world.  And the world, of course, is fighting back.  A new technology is emerging which gets around smoking bans.  It’s the electronic cigarette.

It’s typically only slightly longer than your ordinary cigarette.  Only instead of being a burning paper-wrapped stick of chopped-up tobacco, it’s a flameless aluminum tube containing a battery, a nebulizer, a cartridge of liquid nicotine (plus propylene glycol for a mist of “smoke”), and an LED light for effect.

There is no smoke.  There is no burning tobacco leaf.  There doesn’t even have to be a flavor or smell.  All that it really is, is a nicotine inhaler, cleverly disguised as a cigarette.

There’s debate about whether or not there are any health impacts on using the device.  Obviously it clears up all of the hazardous poisons and carcinogens associated with smoking.  Whether or not nicotine itself is dangerous however is still up for debate.  Of course one could make similar arguments about caffiene or alcohol.  Any tool when used properly can be positive, and when abused can become detrimental.

Clearly the electronic cigarette is not intended as a device to help you quit smoking.  It keeps you right on obsessed with your next nicotine hit, and with your oral fixations.  It’s not a tool to help you get over any addictions.  It’s merely a device to allow you to enjoy a smoking-like experience in all of those mean nasty places that have passed laws to ban smoking.

According to Wikipedia (not always the utmost accurate source, but a fair good hand better than guessing):

• In the European Union some countries have stipulated a decision according to the legal status of e-cigarette products.
• In Austria the e-cigarette is seen as a medical device and the nicotine cartridges are considered a medicinal product. This means that an e-cigarette needs to be CE-marked and the nicotine cartridges must be registered as medicinal products before they can be sold.
• In the United Kingdom, electronic cigarette use is currently unrestricted, with celebrity nightclub Chinawhite allowing use of the devices indoors, where traditional cigarette smoking is prohibited.^[10]
• In The Netherlands the use of the e-cigarette is allowed but advertising the electronic cigarette is forbidden as long as no European legislation or guideline exists.^[11]
• In Finland the usage is prohibited as it is considered a medical device by the Finnish National Agency for Medicines.
• In the United States, the e-cigarette is accepted as a smoking substitute or cigarette alternative, but is not approved as a smoking cessation product. Since the e-cigarette does not contain any tobacco, it is not subject to tobacco-related regulations^[1] such as the Clean Indoor Air Act.^[12]

So whether or not the electronic cigarette is right for you, is, well, up to you.  I can’t say that I am entirely impressed with the thought of someone blowing “steam” that has been flavored/scented to mimic the nastiness of a cheap cigarette.  Second hand “smoke” doesn’t have to be a “health hazard” to offend.  So obviously I would prefer that those who use such a device in a non-smoking environment either stick to flavorless cartridges, or try something more appealing like a quality pipe tobacco smell over a cheap cigarette.  Heck, try strawberry flavor.  Or chocolate.  Now that the nicotine hit has been disambiguated from the pollution, one is really free to introduce any flavor or scent combination that one desires.  (Or at least purchase whatever cartridge options are manufactured.)

I, sadly, expect that as more and more smoking bans are put into place, more and more demand for this product will rise.  You really can’t expect people to just give up a drug addiction.  Period.  And nicotine is most definitely an addictive drug.  But now, it can be an enjoyably innofensive drug, much like caffiene.  Coffee in the morning to get you going, and an electronic smoke in the evening to bring you down.  It’s a sad world, but it’s the one we live in.  And thanks to technology, there are new options every day.