E-Cigarettes...wow...what the world has come to.

As I was glancing through categories and news article titles. I saw this article - "E-cigarettes attracting attention - and scrutiny" and I was kind of curious. What the heck is an E-cigarette? At first I thought this was some, buy your cigarettes online thing, but it is far from that. The E-cigarette, more so the Ruyan V8, was invented in Beijing, China. It is a battery-operated cigarette. This name for the e-cigarette, Ruyan, means "like smoking". China, the largest tobacco market, sells about 2 trillion cigarettes a year.
As it gains popularity, it also gains the attention of many health officials. Not only does Ruyan Group Ltd. claim it is healthier because you are just getting the nicotine and not the hazardous materials that come with smoking, but they are also saying it may be a good way to kick the habit. A benefit to this e-cigarette, is there is no burning, so there is no chance of second-hand smoke. In addition, everyone knows how much they just enjoy sitting by a smoker... So that could be beneficial for Ruyan Group Ltd. when it comes to promoting it. This article then goes on claiming that the World Health Organization does not believe Ruyan Group's claims, they state that there is no evidence that it is a way to help you quit or to avoid the toxins that come with regular cigarettes. Unlike all those other ways to help you quit, these e-cigarettes have not gone through all of the vigorous tests that are required from the alternatives. A reason why the WHO says this is still just as unhealthy is that "Nicotine is highly addictive and causes the release of the "feel good" chemical dopamine when it goes to the brain. It also increases heart rate and blood pressure and restricts blood to the heart muscle."
These e-cigarettes have been around since 2004, and honestly, this is the first time I have heard of them. The sales for these e-cigarettes take place mainly over the internet.
This is good PR for those who are selling these e-cigarettes, by saying there are a way to kick the habit, a way to avoid the toxins, and a way to eliminate second hand smoke. Another tid bit from the article states that: "Prices range from about $60 to $240. Kits include battery chargers and cartridges that range in flavors (from fruit to menthol) and nicotine levels (from zero — basically a flavored mist — to 16 milligrams, higher than a regular cigarette.) The National Institutes of Health says regular cigarettes contain about 10 milligrams of nicotine."
Yet, this is not good PR for all those advocates of quitting smoking. Who really wants to figure out how much harder they are going to have to work to make it look less appealing and help people quit. This is going to make all the PRs that work for the health departments really step it up a notch.
It is probably safe to say that society is always going to try to find ways around smoking laws and bans somehow.