Lighting up indoors, now a state-wide taboo, may once again become popular with the possible coming of a new age: the electronic cigarette.

In July 2004, Massachusetts legislators banned smoking in public restaurants and bars with the exception of private clubs. For many Massachuetts smokers, the public indoor smoking ban limits their places to light up. Similar bans nationwide have contributed to the recent decrease in American smokers. Currently, fewer than 20 percent of Americans smoke cigarettes, the lowest numbers since the early 1900s.

As a result, companies such as Smoking Everywhere, Inc. are manufacturing a new type of cigarette known as the ‘electronic cigarette.’

According to the company’s president, Eli Elicko, their electronic cigarette is designed to ‘reproduce the experience of smoking a traditional cigarette without the combustion by-products.’

‘The ‘smoke’ in our electronic cigarettes is a water vapor resulting from a proprietary process of vaporizing a water/flavors/nicotine mixture,’ said Elicko.

Without second-hand smoke and carcinogens wafting into the faces of non-smokers, many electronic cigarette companies believe their product may be safe to be smoked in public places.

‘We believe that the product is an improvement over and different from traditional cigarettes for reasons including that our electronic cigarette provides adult smokers a real smoking experience without the fire, flame, tobacco, tar, carbon monoxide, ash, stub or smell found in traditional cigarettes,’ said Elicko.

University of Massachusetts Health Services tobacco treatment specialist Tom Schiff believes despite the lack of second-hand smoke emissions, tar and other carcinogens, the tobacco cigarette still has health risks.

‘It’s complex, but yes, I do believe there are health risks,’ said Schiff. ‘[Electronic cigarettes] are not being counted as a way to quit smoking, but rather as a way to continue smoking. As compared to other nicotine replacers like patches, gums, lozenges or prescription nicotine inhalers or nasal sprays which are to help people quit smoking, there is nothing I’ve seen that implies that electronic cigarettes are going to help people quit.’

Many UMass students who smoke want to try electronic cigarettes believing them to be healthier than traditional cigarettes.

‘I want to try the electronic cigarette, because cigarettes are really expensive. I probably spend about $400 per semester on packs,’ said freshman, accounting major Kent Allen. ‘I like to be healthy, and electronic cigarettes do not have as many harmful carcinogens. Plus, I like to try new things, and I’d be helping the environment by not throwing my butts everywhere and polluting the air with my second-hand smoke.’

Some students don’t believe electronic cigarettes will get them to start smoking.

‘I want to be cool like all the kids who smoke cigarettes, but I don’t want to kill myself,’ said UMass freshman Aidan Griffin. ‘Electronic cigarettes are probably not that healthy.’

Electronic cigarettes have not been approved by th
e FDA and are not being sold in Massachusetts convenience stores. There are many websites that are selling starter packs online at around $54. The starter packs often include at least one type of the various cartridges needed to smoke these cigarettes. Some cartridges can be different flavors, while many are nicotine-flavored.

‘The tobacco industry has been trying to develop some sort of smokeless cigarette for a number of years,’ said UMass public health expert, David Buchanan. ‘The basic idea is they want to develop a cigarette that can give some of the flavor and nicotine without including the smoke which contains tar and other chemicals that have health risks. It is something like a holy grail to save the tobacco industry if they can develop a ‘safe’ cigarette.

‘The major lesson here is, and again, going back to early 60s, the tobacco industry came up with a low tar and low nicotine cigarette. Everyone said this was a big step. But smokers compensated for the low amounts of tar and nicotine, and they started inhaling deeper and smoking more. Then these cigarettes wound up being more hazardous for people,’ said Buchanan.

Alyssa Creamer can be reached at acreamer@student.umass.edu.

‘