E-cigarette sales are projected to double this year, to $1 billion.
Today, the most popular e-cigarettes are sold as Logic, NJoy and Vapor
King. But Big Tobacco wants in on the act. Sales could rocket to $10
billion by 2017, as Reynolds, Altria and Lorillard launch their own
brands.
Studies show e-cigarettes are at least as effective as nicotine
patches in helping smokers kick the habit. But without Food and Drug
Administration approval, they can’t be marketed for that. That hasn’t
stopped longtime smokers from figuring it out for themselves.
Unfortunately, kids have discovered vaping, too. One in 10 high
school students has tried an e-cigarette, and 3 percent of
middle-schoolers, according to a new federal report.
Nicotine is a highly addictive narcotic. Is it dangerous?
A. When you inhale nicotine into your lungs, something called
broncho-constriction happens. When you use these devices for five
minutes, there’s a 220 percent increase in lung impedance.
The nicotine alone is the substance that causes broncho-constriction.
Nicotine adjusts your behavior. It can cause vasoconstriction, or a
narrowing of the peripheral blood vessels. It causes Buerger’s disease
and other conditions.
So for people with asthma and conditions like chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, this might not be the best option. But cancer is
really a product of the tars, acetone, arsenic and other poisons that
are found in smokable cigarettes.
Nicotine is also certainly addictive.