Electronic cigarettes[1] (e-cigarettes)
are an innovation that has resulted
in rapid diffusion.[2] Many
smokers think the products “are less harmful than regular cigarettes,”[3] while
the lack of secondhand smoke and odors purportedly makes users compatible with non-smokers.[4] E-cigarettes
are easy to use[5] and
widely available online and in stores. Free samples[6]
and coupons[7] encourage
people to try them. E-cigarettes are increasingly observed, particularly among
celebrities[8] and
in news reports about the health and policy debates.[9],[10]
Communication channels include mass
media and direct engagement. Print ads run in widely circulated magazines and a
television commercial aired during this year’s Super Bowl.[11] Direct
engagement consists of specialty shops[12], event
sponsorships,[13] infomercials,[14] and
even designated spots in amusement parks.[15]
Companies also have a strong
presence online and in social media.
As to time, modern
e-cigarettes arrived in the U.S. in 2007.[16]
By 2010, online queries outpaced those for other tobacco products.[17] Also that year, a
federal court ruling made it easier to manufacture, market, and sell the
product.[18] In
2011, 58% of surveyed adults were aware of e-cigarettes, up nearly 45% from
2010. Use among current
smokers more than doubled.[19] Among students in grades 6-12 usage
doubled from 2011 to 2012,[20] although this figure may be
undercounted.[21]
Sales figures and projections indicate adoption has not yet peaked,[22] although
unfavorable government action[23],[24] and additional studies
linking e-cigarettes to health problems[25],[26] could slow or stop the
ascension.
E-cigarette diffusion flows across social systems. To smokers, they are
held out as cessation tools[27]
and alternatives where smoking is prohibited.[28]
Despite their denials, children are a target given the industry’s emulation of advertising
and marketing practices used by cigarette makers. [29],[30],[31], [32] Opinion
leaders include celebrities and some health experts.[33],[34] Industry executives act as change agents
promoting the products and fighting government regulation. To achieve these
goals, they have fostered the creation and growth of a new social system[35],[36]
of e-cigarette users known as “vapers”[37] after
the vapor e-cigarettes emit. (Vape is the verb.)
For
the industry, the status quo of booming sales and minimal regulation is
desired. Conclusive proof that vaping acts as a gateway to youth smoking,[38]
prompts former smokers to relapse, or causes illness, is not. Direct
consequences are seen in the rapid growth in e-cigarette sales. Finally,
government regulation, particularly at the federal level, is anticipated. An
unanticipated consequence could be that e-cigarettes prove to be effective cessation
tools which could shift the industry into the Food and Drug Administration’s
(FDA) more established medical device regulatory framework as opposed to the blank
slate they enjoy now under FDA’s tobacco authority.
[1] “What Are E-Cigarettes (Electronic Cigarettes)?” Medical News
Today. Webpage. Updated September 10, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
[2] They resemble traditional cigarettes making them a reinvention as well.
[3] Legacy. “Electronic Cigarettes (E-Cigarettes).” Fact Sheet. Revised June 2103. Retrieved March 4,
2014.
[4] Blu Cigs. “Why All Non-Smokers Like the E-Cig.” Blu Cigs Blog. http://blog.blucigs.com/why-almost-all-non-smokers-like-the-e-cig/. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
[9] Shute, Nancy. “Cities Take the Lead in Regulating Cigarettes.” Shots Blog. National Public Radio. March 5, 2014.
[10] Tavernise, Sabrina. “A Hot Debate Over E-cigarettes as a Path to Tobacco or
From It.” The New York Times. February 23, 2014.
[13] Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. “7 Ways E-Cigarette Companies Are Copying Big Tobacco’s
Playbook.” Tobacco Unfiltered Blog.
October 2, 2013.
[15] Liz at ANR. “Do You Think Blu E-Cigarettes Should Be Promoted at
Six Flags.” Action Alert. Americans
for Nonsmokers’ Rights. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
[16] The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives
Association. “E-Cigarette History: A Historical Timeline of
Electronic Cigarettes.” Webpage.
Retrieved March 5, 2014.
[17] Ayers, JW, and KM Ribisl, JS Brownstein. “Tracking the Rise in Popularity of Electronic Nicotine
Delivery Systems (Electronic Cigarettes) Using Search Query Surveillance.” American
Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2011;40(4):448-453.
[18] Jeffrey, Don. “FDA Can’t Regulate Electronic Cigarettes as Drug US
Appeal Court Rules.” Bloomberg News.
December 12, 2007.
[19] King, Brian, et. al. “Awareness and Ever Use of
Electronic Cigarettes Among U.S. Adults, 2010–2011.” Nicotine and Tobacco Research. February 13, 2013.
[20] Catherine Corey, MSPH, et. al. “Notes from the Field: Electronic Cigarette Use Among Middle and
High School Students — United States, 2011–2012.” MMWR. September 6, 2013, Vol. 62, No.
35.
[21] Richtel, Matt. “E-Cigarettes Under Aliases Elude the Authorities.” New York
Times. March 5, 2014.
[22] Goodman,
Andrew. “E-Cigarettes Are Smoking Hot - Four Ways To Invest
In Them. Forbes. December 5, 2013.
[23] McArdle, Mega. “E-Cigarettes: A $1.5 Billion Industry Braces for FDA
Regulation.”Business Week. Febraury 6, 2014.
[24] Wilson, Reid. “Awaiting FDA, States Pursue Their Own E-cigarette Rules.” GovBeat Blog. The Washington Post. October 29, 2013.
[25] Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Consumer Updates.
[27] Siegel, MB, Tanwar, KL, Wood KS. “Electronic
Cigarettes as a Smoking-Cessation: Tool Results from an Online Survey.” American
Journal of Preventive Medicine. 40(4):472-5. April 2011.
[29] Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. “An E-Cigarette Ad on an Itsy, Bitsy Bikini: Teens sure
to be Attracted by Ad in Sports
Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.” Tobacco Unfiltered Blog
Post. February 24, 2014.
[30] Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. “7 Ways E-Cigarette Companies Are Copying Big Tobacco’s
Playbook.”
[31] Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. “Ho Ho – Oh No: E-Cigarette Ad Exploits Santa Claus.” December 17,
2013.
[32] Elliot, Stuart. “E-cigarette Makers’ Ads Echo Tobacco’s Heyday.” New York
Times. August 30, 2013.
[33] Tavernise, Sabrina
[34] NJOY via Business Wire. “NJOY Expands Senior Management Team Appoints Chief.” Press Release. November 21, 2013.
[35]Daily Mail. “Meet the ‘Vapers’: E-Cigarette Craze Inspires Bizarre
New-Sub-Culture.” May 14, 2013.
[38] Fernandez, Elizabeth. “US Kids Who Use E-Cigs More
Likely to Progress From Experimentation to Established Smoking, Less Likely to
Quit, Smoke More.” University of California San Francisco. Press Release. March 6, 2014.
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