E-Cigarettes: The New Debate

E-cigarettes, or vapes, arrived on the market in 2004, bringing with them a new aspect of the debate on the addictive nature of nicotine and nicotine products. While opponents maintain that many of the same issues arise with or without the same amount of chemicals, proponents of vapes speak highly of a smoke free alternative to cigarettes.

“I felt vapes were a lot healthier than inhaling thousands of chemicals in cigarette smoke,” said Chris Dimitru, who switched from traditional cigarettes to vapes over a year ago.

Initially, he wanted to switch to lower the cost of his nicotine addiction and cease smelling like smoke.

Dimitru reported having an increase in endurance while playing sports, He attributes this to inhaling vapor over the arguably unhealthier cigarette smoke.

A recent article from WebMD written by R. Morgan Griffin and reviewed by Arefa Cassoobhoy, MD, agrees with some of Dumitru’s reasoning. The article contains the perspective of Michael Siegel, MD, who researches methods of tobacco control, according to his profile at the Boston University School of Health. Siegel concedes that e-cigarettes sound a bit better than smoking traditional cigarettes, and at one point he compared ecigarettes to heroin addicts using methadone for detox.

The WebMD article also presents the views of vape opponents. One of the more popular arguments against e-cigarettes focuses on how the trend could offset attempts to promote smoking cessation or the idea of not smoking at all.

Perhaps the strongest arguments for federal regulation consists of the fact that e-cigarette flavors range from tobacco to candy flavors, which appeal to children. They are also practically odorless. This presents the problem of children using e-cigarettes without their parents noticing.

Dimitru seemed displeased when presented with this argument. “All the shops I go to in Charlottesville always card me,” he said. He did concede that not every shop shares the same degree of responsibility.

More arguments exist on both side of the debate. In the decade since e-cigarettes first became available to the public, clear lines have been drawn by both proponents and opponents of the devices.

Though the line appears clear, the answers are not. Experts are still conducting research on longterm effects on the users, the environment and secondhand vapor exposure. No one truly knows at this time whether the benefits outweigh the risks.