E Cigs are electronic cigarettes which contain liquid nicotine rather than tobacco. It has been advertized that E Cigs are much better for you than regular cigarettes, but this has not been proven. Supposedly there is a lot less toxins in electronic cigarettes, but according to ABC news, things such as elements of antifreeze have been found in them. E Cigs have also not yet been FDA regulated or properly tested. Very little information is known about the effects of E Cigs, which is a problem because advertisements for them claim otherwise. The sales of E Cigs have been exponentially increasing, especially over the past two years. I don’t think electronic cigarettes should be legal until they have been completely investigated and restricted more carefully. It’s a problem that E Cigs are appealing to young teens, may be more harmful than regular cigarettes, and aren’t actually saving consumers that much money.

According to a Centers of Disease Control and Prevention study, the number of U.S. middle and high school student e-smokers doubled between 2011 and 2012. There are two main contributing factors that are popularly believed to have caused this. For one, advertisements for electronic cigarettes include the variety of different flavors offered such as chocolate, strawberry, and bubble gum that would attract young customers. There are also many different “fun” colors available that indicate a young demographic. Another factor that is quite alarming is that, according to Discovery Fit & Health’s website, “e-cigarettes aren’t subject to U.S. tobacco laws.” Therefore, there is technically no age restriction on electronic cigarettes. Other sources, such as ABC news, have also claimed this as a fact. ABC news’ website has also said that although most sellers of E Cigs refuse sell to people under the age of eighteen, companies that sell electronic cigarettes online do not require any kind of proof of age. These misleading advertisements and easy access to E Cigs is potentially causing teens to develop very early nicotine addictions. The FDA worries that instead of E Cigs being a way for smokers to break away from their habit, they might actually serve as a gateway for teens to start smoking regular tobacco cigarettes.

A common slogan or attention-grabbing phrase used by E Cig sellers, such as the company Blu, is that E Cigs aren’t bad for you because it’s vapor, not smoke. This is meant to prove to the buyer that vaping is cleaner and healthier than smoking, but this is not necessarily true. In fact, liquids (as in vapor) can more easily seep into the pores of our skin as well as travel into our bloodstream. While the vapor of a liquid is a gas, smoke is actually made up of solids and liquids. Because the molecules are further apart, human bodies will absorb gases and liquids involuntarily and will not do this as easily with solids. E Cigs contain liquid nicotine, and according to Discovery Fit & Health, sometimes a lot more than a regular cigarette; so this addictive drug potentially reaches more parts of your body from an electronic cigarette than from a tobacco cigarette. Although there are apparently less toxins and chemicals in E Cig, there are still harmful substances in them besides nicotine. The fact that nobody has any idea of the effects of this liquid concoction inside E Cigs is scary. It is also frightening that, according to ABC news, the lack of regulation on E Cigs means that what is on the labels for them may not be accurate or true. In other words, we’re not entirely sure what is in them or what could be the effects.

Lastly, there are many parts to a “pack” of E Cigs. For example, Blu’s “Starter Pack” comes with the rechargeable pack for charging the batteries, two batteries, a USB cable, a cigarette lighter adaptor  for charging the pack, an instruction manual, and a pack of five flavor cartridges. Not only can this cost up to $150 (depending on the size of the pack and amount of nicotine content you purchase), but the batteries and flavor packs are something you have to replace. According to Vapor4Life, if somebody is a frequent E Cig user, they end up spending about the same amount or more on this fancy electronic equipment as a regular tobacco cigarette smoker.

In conclusion, electronic cigarettes are dangerous mainly because there are too many things unknown or unregulated about them. The over glorification of these things is false advertisement and the people are being exposed to it are getting the wrong idea. Celebrities, like actress Katherine Heigl, are advertising E Cigs by showing them off on talk-shows or in public in front of paparazzi. I seriously hope that awareness is brought to this problem before it’s too late.