E-Cigarettes are becoming the new trend among the alternatives to stop smoking tobacco, but the freedom of using them anywhere may be coming to an end as new laws are implemented.
Now that many stores such as CVS are no longer selling tobacco cigarettes, smokers are looking for alternatives. An electronic cigarette is one of the most affordable options.
A reusable E-Cigarette can go from $44 up to $200 depending on their size and shape. Users then only need to replace the nicotine-flavored liquid that is inhaled, which usually sells for about $14.
E-Cigarett smoker Michael Murphy said the new device has saved him money.
“With an E-Cig, I haven’t calculated what it costs per day but it’s a lot cheaper,” Murphy said.
Users also prefer E-Cigarettes to regular ones because they can be used anywhere. However, in Frisco, council members passed a ordinance that bans E-Cigarettes everywhere traditional cigarettes are outlawed.
“We felt like it was important as a city council to protect the health, safety and welfare of our citizens and we felt the best way to do that was to ban them in public areas,” Council Member Scott Johnson said.
E-Cigarette users believe the electronic version is a healthier choice than the traditional cigarette. E-Cigarettes do no involve combustible tobacco or any of the harmful chemicals that regular cigarettes have, including carbon monoxide, ammonia and arsenic.
Murphy said the switch from regular cigarettes to electronic ones has helped him breathe better, and he is now able to go to the gym. He no longer feels “tightness in his lungs.”
However, there are no restrictions or regulations on what can be added to the liquid inhaled with E-Cigarettes. This makes it difficult to know what is being put into the lungs of its users and those of the people around them.
“They don’t let off any odors or anything, so it’s actually nice,” dance major Alison Glander said.
Others disagree with Glander about their experience with electronic cigarette smokers.
“I don’t believe that a family that goes to a movie theater should have to sit next to somebody who’s vaping next to them,” Johnson said. “Not knowing what the health consequences are for them or their families.”
E-Cigarettes have not yet been approved by the FDA, making them very controversial. Johnson also stated that if new evidence comes to show that these new devices are not a threat to people’s health, laws could change. Even if the Frisco City Council made a mistake now, they are “airing on the side of public health,” Johnson said.
