For 15 years, Paul Tyler smoked a pack of cigarettes a day.
He says that changed when he discovered e-cigarettes two years ago. He hasn't
been tempted to light up since.
Tyler is so passionate about the product that he helped open
Vape Pro's electronic-cigarette shop on University Avenue in St. Paul two weeks
ago.
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| Buy Electronic Cigarettes Online |
"I believe there's a market for them right now that far
outweighs how much the need for them has been satisfied," said Tyler,
manager of the store. "There are a lot of people looking for a different
option from cigarettes."
Two years ago, the products were practically unheard of, but
Vape Pro's joins a list of at least a dozen standalone e-cigarette stores that
have recently opened throughout the metro. In addition,
more convenience stores are clearing counter space for
e-cigarette products.
And the growing popularity of e-cigarettes -- touted as less
harmful than traditional cigarettes but similar in taste and feel -- has caught
the attention of regulators. The Food and Drug Administration, as well as state
and local governments, are playing catch-up, citing concerns about how they are
marketed, the lack of long-term studies about potential health effects and the
sale of the devices to children.
E-cigarette sales this year could reach $1 billion at retail
stores and $1.7 billion if online sales are included, according to industry
analyst Bonnie Herzog of Wells Fargo Securities. If that trend continues,
e-cigarettes have the potential to surpass traditional cigarette sales within
the next decade.
"E-cigarettes' appeal stems from ... the perception
that e-cigarettes are healthier, cheaper and can be used almost anywhere,"
a May 2012 Wells Fargo report said.
E-cigarettes don't use tobacco. Instead, they use
electrically generated heat to vaporize liquid. Nicotine is the only major
thing cigarettes and e-cigarettes have in common -- yet not every e-cigarette
has the addictive substance mixed into its flavored liquid, which ultimatelygets
ingested as vapor.
Though e-cigarettes are often lumped together with nicotine
patches and nicotine gum as means for weaning oneself off cigarettes, that's
hardly the only reason they exist.
Some e-cigarette users come for the smoking-cessation aspect and stay for a seemingly infinite number of flavors, the
assemble-your-own-e-cig subculture, even the tech-related thrill of using
electronic e-cigs that are mini-computers and can transfer usage data to a
desktop computer.
Sina War of Minneapolis, who had smoked for about a decade,
didn't kick her cigarette habit right away. She credits e-cigarettes with
eventually weaning her off tobacco -- if not nicotine.
Just as she would never drink decaf, she says, she'll always
need a nicotine hit (usually in the morning). But she'll often "vape"
-- the verb used to describe the use of an e-cigarette -- with zero nicotine.
GROWING POPULARITY
With the growing popularity of the e-cigarette comes debate
over regulation of the product as well as its health and social implications.
On Tuesday, attorneys general of 40 states -- including Minnesota -- sent a
letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration urging the agency to meet an
Oct. 31 deadline to study and regulate electronic cigarettes.
Issues being discussed include access to minors, where and
when e-cigarettes can be advertised, and possible restriction of online sales.
The letter from the attorneys general says e-cigarettes are
being marketed to children through cartoon-like advertising characters and by
offering fruit and candy flavors, much like cigarettes were once marketed to
hook new smokers.
Citing a National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the attorneys generals said 1.8
million middle and high school students said they had tried e-cigarettes in
2012, mirroring increases in the use of the product by adults.
The FDA intends to regulate e-cigarettes as a tobacco
product, and not as a drug like the nicotine patches used as a stop-smoking
treatment.
For adult e-cigarette users, store owners are opening
bricks-and-mortar spots to specialize in the trend. The shops carry a selection
of brands besides one or two popular labels offered at convenience stores.
Sutao McCann, co-owner of ecig Xcape in Eagan, which opened
Labor Day weekend, says those who come into the store are looking at quitting,
cutting down or finding an alternative to cigarettes. Customers can ask staff
questions about the e-cigarette options and customize their order. That
includes choosing a nicotine level and reducing it over time if their goal is
to quit smoking.
"They want to know more about e-cigs and the different
options for nicotine levels," McCann said. "I'm not saying this is a
healthy product, but customers are telling us they want something healthier
than cigarettes."
Inspired by a recent visit to her native California, where
e-cigarette stores are common, Sina also now offers e-cigarettes as the
co-owner of two Vapor Shoppe stores, one in Minneapolis and one in Maplewood.
McCann is also finding customers turn to e-cigarettes to
save money.
The products are not taxed like cigarettes. And with
Minnesota's recent tax increase sending several cigarette brands to about $8 a
pack, some customers are looking for alternatives.
"It's expensive to start with but cheaper in the long
run," McCann says.
E-cigarette starter kits can range from $30 to $100 at an
e-cigarette shop. After the initial starter kit, e-juice refill tanks run $15
for a 20-milliliter bottle. According to the Wells Fargo Securities study, a
refill bottle is equivalent to one to two packs of cigarettes. The tanks come
in a variety of flavors, from nicotine to candy apple.
QUESTIONS ABOUT RULES, REGULATIONS
While the FDA considers regulating e-cigarettes, states,
counties and local governments are taking the matter into their own hands.
Chris Turner, program and media specialist for the
Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota, said Minnesota is one of the few states
that regulate e-cigarettes, which are treated like tobacco products when it
comes to sale to minors.
While e-cigarettes are being hailed by some as safer than
cigarettes, Turner said there are still health concerns. She cited an FDA study
that showed traces of toxic chemicals and the presence of nicotine even in
e-cigarette cartridges that claimed zero nicotine.
"The main thing is they have not been proven safe and
have not been proven effective in helping people quit in terms of clinical
trials," Turner said. "What you're seeing now is anecdotal -- people
are saying these are helping them smoke less, but studies have not shown
that."
Several local municipalities are addressing the issue. In
April, St. Paul amended a city code so that e-cigarettes are treated like a
tobacco product. As a result, retailers must have a tobacco license and cannot
sell to anyone under 18.
Several cities in the area, including West St. Paul and
South St. Paul, are also reviewing their tobacco ordinances in light of
recommendations released this month by the League of Minnesota Cities on how to
regulate the sale and licensing of e-cigarettes.
Whether e-cigarettes can be used in bars, restaurants and
other businesses is up to the establishments themselves.
At the Mall of America, spokeswoman Sarah Schmidt says,
e-cigarettes fall under the same rules as the mall's no-smoking policy and are
not allowed inside.
The debate also continues over whether e-cigarettes are
portrayed as a glamorous alternative to cigarettes and are alluring to younger
generations.
At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this month, the blogosphere
lit up over e-cigarette company NJOY giving away its vapor products to young
models, offering them in gift bags and doling them out at fashion week parties.
While there are controversies surrounding e-cigarettes, Paul
Tyler of Vape Pro says e-cigarettes should be thought of as an alternative for
someone who might smoke cigarettes otherwise.
Michelle Blossom of Minneapolis said e-cigarettes ended her
one-pack-a-day cigarette habit, which lasted 20 years. Now she can't take a
puff of a regular cigarette without getting ill and finds the taste detestable.
"It could never happen again," she said of her
tobacco habit.
Tyler agrees: "I'm not saying it's a quit-smoking
device. There's nicotine in them, and nicotine is a highly addictive drug. But
I will tell you from my very own personal experience that it's very effective
in not tempting you to have a cigarette. Since I started on them, I haven't
craved a cigarette since."
Julio Ojeda-Zapata contributed to this report. It also
includes information from the Associated Press.
Nancy Ngo can be reached at 651-228-5172. Follow her at
twitter.com/nancyngotc and pinterest.com/nancyngotc.
ABOUT E-CIGARETTES
All electronic cigarettes work in essentially the same way:
They use electrically generated heat to vaporize a liquid that contains
flavoring and, sometimes, nicotine.
But they range from simple models available at convenience
stores, which mimic the look and feel of regular cigarettes, to adjustable and
customizable variations for those who want to control every aspect of the
"vaping" experience.
E-cigarette features include some or all of the following:
Power: This is what creates the liquid-vaporizing heat. The
battery technology in e-cigarettes ranges from the basic, like that of Blu
sticks, to a variety of adjustable options for varying the power output, either
via physical dials or electronic readouts. The amount of watts or volts
generated has a direct correlation to how much heat is created for making
vapor.
Wicks. Somewhat like the ones in oil lamps, wicks in some
advanced e-cigarettes are used to absorb and hold e-juices in preparation for
the heating and vaporization. Wicks can be made of silica, oxidized stainless
steel, porous ceramic, cotton or bamboo yarn.
Heating coil. A bit like the heating coil in an electric
stove, the one in an e-cigarette is in contact with the wick and causes the
liquid in it to vaporize. These coils have different levels of electrical
resistance, measured in ohms. A coil with a lower resistance generates greater
amounts of heat, and as a result yields more vapor. The wires in the coils are
made of a metal alloy called kanthal.
E-juice. Water-soluble e-juices or "e-liquid" in
e-cigarettes vary the experience with an array of flavor combinations.
Vapor Shoppe stores in Minneapolis and Maplewood have a
juice-sampling station, and provide about 40 flavors for purchase. Basic kits
from Minnesota's Vaping Ventures (vapingvamps.com) bundle two rechargeable
power cylinders with five prepackaged flavor add-ons for an e-cigarette closely
resembling a traditional cigarette.
Depending on flavor and personal preferences, advanced users
will run their e-cigarettes cooler or hotter, and with greater or lower coil
resistance. They can keep track of all this using charts.
E-juice typically is made up of propylene glycol, vegetable
glycerin, nicotine and food flavoring. Advanced users will increase or decrease
the "PG" or "VG" for different kinds of vapor effects.
Greater VG creates a denser liquid for thicker vapor, for instance, but is
compatible with fewer e-cigarette models.
Rebuildable dripping atomizer. This refers to a custom gizmo
incorporating a wick and kanthal-wire coil the user has carefully selected and
assembled for just the experience that person requires.
Article Credit: http://www.twincities.com
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