What is the Future of Electronic Cigarettes?

If you’re wondering how electronic cigarettes fit into the future, you’re certainly not alone. The BBC has been exploring this very same topic as of late. One of their reporters, Graham Satchell, recently wrote that the amount of e-cig users in the United Kingdom is growing and may reach one million this year.

This exponential growth is happening for a range of reasons. Some e-cig users opt for these “vapes” since they are very convenient – in other words, e-cigs allow users to access nicotine-laced water vapour in places where tobacco cigarettes may not be smoked. Others utilize electronic cigarettes as smoking cessation aids.
Increased sales of such products are an obvious sign that e-cigs are becoming far more popular. Unless research surfaces which proves that e-cigs are more harmful than tobacco cigarettes, it’s unlikely that these “vaping” products will become less popular.

On the contrary, sales figures indicate that the usage of electronic cigarettes will continue to rise over time.

Are E-cigs Effective “Quit Smoking” Aids?
A study performed by UBS states that projections for e-cig usage in America were expected to double. The market for electronic cigarettes is now expected to top half a billion dollars per year, versus the current market share of one quarter billion dollars per year. Some analysts find these estimates to be on the conservative side. As you can see, e-cig sales are really booming and there’s no sign of a slow-down, although plenty of electronic cigarette critics are out there.

Big Tobacco is attempting to stop the growth of the e-cig market or to create vaping products which are sold alongside their existing tobacco cigarette product lines. Since e-cig manufacturers have a mission to grab market share from Big Tobacco, many negative stories about e-cigs may potentially be traced back to those who have a vested interest in making vaping seem unhealthy and dangerous.

Of course, some critics of e-cigs aren’t in the pocket of Big Tobacco – however, it’s safe to say that some chatter about the drawbacks of electronic cigarettes may be the work of Big Tobacco and its allies.

Negative articles and reports about e-cigs are therefore not always to be trusted. A range of authorities do believe that e-cigs offer hope to those who can’t seem to quit tobacco cigarettes in the usual manner, via cold turkey programs or other smoking cessation aids, such as nicotine patches, nicotine gum and nicotine lozenges. In addition, certain prescription-strength medications which are utilized in order to help people quit (Chantrix is one example) are known to trigger unwanted side effects. In particular, Chantrix may cause suicidal thoughts in certain users.

So, it is important to consider the role that e-cigs play – and will continue to play in the future – in helping people to finally butt out and break a deadly bad habit, once and for all. For this reason, Clive Bates, who used to be the UK Director of Action on Smoking and Health, is critical of those who deride e-cigs as no better than tobacco cigarettes. He feels that critics of e-cigs are being influenced by the interests of large tobacco product manufacturers.

In addition, a psychiatrist who was interviewed by Fox News in the USA feels that e-cigs are the best smoking cessation options for his patients. This doctor believes that e-cigs provide an authentic “smoking” experience, minus the harmful smoke and tar. For this reason, he is comfortable going on record, publicly, as a supporter of electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation. This doctor’s name is Keith Ablow and he’s one of the only doctors to courageously speak up on behalf of electronic cigarettes.

In our culture of political correctness, those who embrace e-cigs as the smoking cessation products of the future may not feel comfortable doing so publicly. However, in the future, when further clinical studies are performed which establish the safety of e-cigs, more medical authorities and other respected persons may come on board and let the public know that they believe e-cigs are the smartest way to quit smoking tobacco cigarettes. Conversely, any negative publicity about e-cigs (even if it comes from Big Tobacco, which has an interest in the failure of e-cigs on the open market) may push supporters back, into the shadows…

Should You Buy an E-cig?
There is plenty of research out there about e-cigs and their pros and cons. However, there aren’t as many clinical trials as there should be. This is why you’ll need to use your instincts and good judgment in order to decide whether or not buying an electronic cigarette is a smart decision. If you do decide that using an e-cig will be better than smoking a conventional cigarette (which contains smoke and tar, as well as other harmful compounds, such as acetone), it may be time to purchase your own electronic device online.

Many manufacturers offer affordable e-cigs for very reasonable prices.