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Name: Md. Mezbahul Karim

Student ID: 200347693
Course Title: ENGL 100-section # 992
Instructors name: Melanie Schnell
Date: 24 February 2014

E-cigarettes: Think twice
A new type of cigarette is glimmering fresh debate about the dangers of smoking. They
are called e-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes typically consist of a metal
tube containing a vaporizer, a battery, and a cartridge filled with liquid nicotine. This device
contains light-emitting diode causing the tip to glow, vaporizer turns liquid nicotine into a vapor
and a smoker gets vapor as smoke- thus it is called vaping instead of smoking. This smoke or
vapor when exhaled creating a cloud that resembles cigarette smoke but disperse more quickly
and does not have lingering odor. These features have some good attributes over traditional
smoking and may be a suitable candidate to replace it. No doubt traditional smoking causes a lot
of life-threatening diseases and environmental pollution with some secondary and remote
consequences. The evolving argument is whether e-cigarettes are safe for their intended use.
What we use to quit smoking? Are they safe alternatives? Bell and Keane stated that to
reduce cigarette cravings, commercial nicotine replacement products like nicotine gum,
transdermal nicotine patches, nasal sprays, inhalers and microtabs were developed. Nicotine
replacement products act as therapeutic agents for those addicted to cigarettes and in 1996 FDA
switched of three Nicotine Replacement Therapy(NRT) products(Nicorette gum, Nicoderm
Nicotrol patches) from prescription-only to over the counter(OTC) availability (244) . Shiffman,
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Hughes, Pilliteri & Burton have found that switch to OTC NRT in the USA increased use of
NRT by 152% and increased th e annual incidence of smoking cessation by 10-25%. They
suggested that prolonged use of NRT might be necessary for some smokers to maintain
abstinence from cigarettes, and long-term NRT use is clearly healthier and medically preferable
to smoking (310). Though long-term use of NRT have some potentiality to develop cancer, its
benefit outweigh the far greater risks of continual smoking (Shields 1719).
Do you believe e-cigarette is a harmless substitution of cigarette addiction? It may be a
replacement but not harmless. E-cigarettes are addicting, contains carcinogens and other
hazardous chemicals like diethylene glycol. Sometimes e-cigarette users feel difficulty breathing.
Another disaster posing to appear due to lack of regulatory constrain and advertising lure of
manufacturer. E-cigarette companies are marketing cherry, strawberry, vanilla and cokie
flavoured e-cigarette which attracting kids to be a smoker (9 terribly disturbing things about
electronic cigarettes). Varkey found in a recent randomised study that 7.3% of e-cigarette users
abstain from smoking in comparison to 5.8% of nicotine patches and on the other hand, a good
proportion of younger people who started e-cigarette ended with regular cigarette users (125).
Health Canada has already banned nicotine-loaded e-cigarette, but still, there is a debate
whether e-cigarettes encouraging real smoking or represent an effective alternative for tobacco
and its life-threatening side effects (Blackwell). As e-cigarettes are not age restricted, it is
gaining popularity among teens and youths. A study found that number of young Canadians who
have used e-cigarettes are exceeding the number of adults who have tried them (Ellis 15). Can
we encourage this trend of making a huge young smokers generation? Apparently this e-cigarette
generation is harmless but posing great potentiality to turn to real smokers.
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E-cigarettes are a controversial issue facing tobacco control in Canada and around the
world. Its suitability as an aid to quit smoking could not create appealing features to smokers. On
the other hand e-cigarettes are getting popularity among teens and young adults those who face
restriction in tobacco smoking. Switching from e-cigarettes to traditional smoking heading our
young generation in a deep ditch. Considering all facts I am against e-cigarette whether it is
nicotine-loaded or not.
References:
Bell, K. &Keane, J. Nicotine control: E-cigarettes smoking and addiction. International journal
of drug policy. 23(2012): 242-247. Print.
Blackwell, T. Ban on nicotine-loaded e-cigarettes aggressively enforced while some
antismoking advocates call for legalization. The National Post 21 January 2014. Print.
Ellis, P. E-cigarettes catch fire. Canadian Grocer. 2(2013): 15-17. Print.
Shiffman, S., Hughes, J. R., Pilliteri, J. L. & Burton, S. L. Persistent use of nicotine replacement
therapy: an analysis of actual purchase patterns in a population based sample. Tobacco
control. 12(2003): 310-316. Print.
Shields, G. P. Long-term nicotine replacement therapy: cancer risk in context. Cancer
prevention research. 11(2011): 1719-1723. Print.
Varkey, B. Electronic cigarettes: the good, the bad and the unknown. Current opinion in
pulmonary medicine. 2(2014): 125-126. Print.
9 terribly disturbing things about electronic cigarettes. The Huffington Post 3 September 2013.
Print.