E-cigs clear the air for smokers, but health experts urge caution
The popularity of e-cigarettes has consumers flocking to stores, tobacco heavyweights such as R. J. Reynolds entering the game, and health officials urging caution.
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Makam started E-Cigs Store and Vape Lounge, a small shop in Cary with what he says is one of the largest selections in the area. His store is stocked with flavors such as grape Pez, classic butterscotch and citrus fruit punch.
E-cigs are the latest craze to light up the smoking industry. The battery powered unit uses a small tank to hold a liquid combination comprised of nicotine, flavoring and other chemicals. The mixture is instantly heated into an inhalable vapor that is relatively odorless.
Stories like Makam’s are the driving force behind industry sales of e-cigs, which reached $500 million in 2012. This year, profits are expected to surpass $1.5 billion. The figures are small compared with the $100 billion that tobacco industries rake in each year. However, it reflects the explosion in popularity of e-cigs within just a few years.
The changes have consumers flocking to stores, tobacco heavyweights such as R. J. Reynolds entering the game, and health officials urging caution.
Sally Herndon, head of the North Carolina Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch, says there isn’t enough research to support the use of e-cigs as a smoking cessation device.
“Because they aren’t regulated, you’re not getting the same product across the United States,” she said.
Her main concern is the unknown health risks.
“This is a relatively new phenomenon, and there is research going on right now about the product’s safety,” she added.
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