BIG disclaimer:
I do not smoke. Never have. Never will.
At Regency Nursing Centers we respect the rights of our residents who do choose to smoke and afford them the opportunity to smoke in designated areas on our beautiful and expansive grounds.
This afternoon we are having our weekly barbeque and our residents are already outside enjoying the excellent weather.
So I was having a conversation with one of our ‘smoker’ residents and she was telling me how she would really love to quit and is considering ‘e-cigarettes’ to help her achieve her goals.
I’ve actually done a bit of research on this subject because I have friends and colleagues who believe that these devices are the sine qua non for those who really wish to kick the habit (some of them have since suffered from severe buyers remorse!)
The essential question is; how different are they as an alternative to the real thing and therefore how must they be marketed and sold (legally)?
Policy makers have begun developing rules for how popular alternatives to traditional cigarettes can be marketed and sold.
What’s the issue?
E-cigarettes, virtually nonexistent 10 years ago, have skyrocketed in popularity. Though often shaped like a traditional cigarette, they are fundamentally different in both design and ingredients and are widely believed by supporters and critics to be a safer alternative and a potentially valuable tool in weaning people off tobacco cigarettes. How much safer, however, and how well they function as a smoking cessation device are key questions subject to a fierce debate.
Instead of the traditional combustible cigarette lit with a match or lighter, e-cigarettes use a battery-operated heating element, called an atomizer, that vaporizes a liquid solution from a small cartridge of flavored liquid, frequently called “juice,” into an aerosol mist that resembles smoke. The liquid, or e-liquid, usually, but not always, contains nicotine. Supporters say e-cigarettes are a perfect smoking cessation device because they provide a sufficient nicotine buzz without many of the more dangerous substances and harmful chemicals of a conventional cigarette.
Opponents, however, say there’s no evidence that smokers won’t simply continue to use both products. Mitch Zeller, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Tobacco Products, recently told a congressional panel that because there is so little scientific evidence about e-cigarettes, all he could comfortably say was that “they have the potential to do good; they have the potential to do harm.”
Essentially, the ‘jury is still out,’ so if you do have a b$d experience (dollar sign is not a typo, btw) with these e-cigarettes, blame this guy!
