Perhaps they will come off to some like a virtual reality gimmick or a set-up to tease the serious smoker. Electronic cigarettes though, are no illusion, and they may change the way that smokers and non-smokers alike begin to view the act of smoking.

A cheap e cigarette does not produce any smoke, tar or burned tobacco, yet it tastes and behaves just like a real cigarette. It uses nicotine cartridges, batteries and atomizers to produce a liquid nicotine solution. Once the smoker inhales, a signal goes to the atomizer. Once the atomizer, which is a heating unit, receives the signal, it turns the nicotine solution into a fine mist that looks, smells and feels like cigarette smoke.

This radical way of smoking avoids burning all the carcinogens and other life-threatening chemicals found in tobacco products. Although it may be tricky to pull off in most public places that have instituted a smoking ban, the e cigarette does have the potential to slip around this restriction. Technically, those who use it are not smoking because the e cig uses vapor instead of actual smoke. 

Of course, restaurants that have already declared themselves no smoking zones have the to ask you not to “vaporize” in their establishments, but for the most part, you have not broken any laws when you “smoke” an electronic cigarette.

The biggest relief most smokers will see is in the cost of smoking versus the cost of vaporizing. After you purchase the starter kit, electronic cigarettes might cost you about 75 cents, compared to the nine or 10 dollars that it costs to purchase an equivalent lot of actual cigarettes. You also will not have to purchase lighters or matches because the E Cigarette is self-contained. They do not leave an overwhelming smoky odour, and they do not stain your teeth.