The new trend is known as “vaping” and by most, is not considered the same as smoking. All California State University and UC campuses are in the process of banning electronic cigarettes.
Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, invented the first nicotine based e-cigarette in 2003. Most thought that e-cigs would be a fad, but they are growing in popularity more than ever. It is believed that e-cigarettes will surpass the amount of sales for regular cigarettes within the next 10 years.
One can go to almost any smoke shop and find refillable “e-cig” starter kits, complete the battery, tank and charger for anywhere from $25 to $50, well within even the most frugal college student’s budget.
Even cheaper disposable e-cigs are seen more frequently than they used to be at mini-marts and gas stations.
Some go all out and spend hundreds of dollars on vaping materials, buying different modifications and customizing their e-cigarette hardware.
Many people also argue that e-cigarettes are healthier. The “smoke” produced by e-cigarettes is roughly equivalent to water vapor, which is why many people believe so.
A nicotine solution is mixed with propylene glycol, which is known as “e-fluid”. It is then heated up and released as vapor through the “filter” when the person inhales or holds down a button. According to studies, less particulates and toxins are sent into the environment from the vapor than regular cigarette smoke.
StatisticBrain.com states that 35% of people who tried e-cigarettes quit smoking normal cigarettes within six months. The amount of sales for electronic cigarettes has dramatically increased from roughly $20 million in 2008 to over $1.7 billion dollars in sales.
The tobacco industry is aware of this huge market boom, and is attempting to buy out, with their billions, the major e-cigarette manufacturers. Philip Morris International, makers of Marlboro cigarettes, said they planned to enter the e-cigarette market in 2014 in response to the trends.
Mel Moscoso, a fine art major at the college, is an e-cigarette user who switched from traditional cigarettes.
Moscoso began “vaping” in order to quit using nicotine all together. Moscoso stated he has been lowering the amount of nicotine in the “e-fluids” he purchases, and plans to quit when he reaches zero nicotine. He also confirmed he has been one-hundred-percent cigarette-free for three months.
“After a month of straight ‘vaping’ and not smoking, I can breathe better in the morning when I wake up, my sense of smell improved, and I can honestly taste food better,” Moscoso said.
Moscoso also said that he believes e-cigarettes are a healthier choice than smoking regular cigarettes because cigarettes, “contain at least four thousand chemicals compared to e-cigarettes; which is way less”
Brandon Duval, another student at College of Sequoias, however, believes the opposite. Brandon stated that he has been smoking cigarettes for around 20 years and has tried to quit numerous times. Duval said that he has actually tried the new alternative, e-cigarettes, and they “don’t really satisfy the need of a regular cigarette.”
“You get more nicotine per puff, but the flavor’s not there…unfortunately, it’s just not the same thing.” Duval also said there is no such thing as a healthy alternative to cigarettes.
“You’re still putting toxins into your system…either way, it’s still bad for you.” Duval believes that e-cigarettes are a gateway into regular smoking. He said that tighter regulations should be put into effect so youth do not become addicted to the new ‘candy nicotine’. “It’s still considered smoking, so as far as I’m concerned, if they’re going to regulate regular cigarettes they might as well regulate the e-cigarettes.”
College of the Sequoias, meanwhile, currently lacks a specific e-cigarette policy. The college’s police chief, Bob Masterson, said that he noticed e-cigarette use picking up at the college a year ago. Masterson has completed a draft of a policy that would see e-cigarette users corraled into the same areas as traditional cigarette smokers.
Masterson said that the draft still has to go through the new channels of approval set forth by the COS 2.0 reorganization process.
“Where it goes from there is beyond me,” Masterson said. “As of now, the campus smoking policy involves tobacco products and nicotine products only. What we’re looking to change is to include the e-cigarettes as well.”
Masterson also said there has not been enough research to conclude that e-cigarettes are really a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes, and that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration needs to do more research on the matter before one can jump to any conclusions.
“We are looking at coming in line with just like the UC and Cal State [campuses]…e-cigarettes are just the same as cigarettes.”
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