Daily News and Analysis out of India ran a lengthy piece on electronic cigarettes. The article had a fairly decent balance between descriptions of e-cigarettes, those for the devices and prohibitionists who seem to equate nicotine itself with smoking.
There are reasons other than price that have made e-cigarettes popular. Dr Pratit Samdani, associate professor of medicine at Jaslok Bhatia and Saifi Hospital, says, “We’ve been recommending nicotine chewing gums and e-cigarettes to our patients who have not been able to give up smoking. They are safer alternatives as they help in cutting down the nicotine intake.”
Relative adjectives like ‘safer’ are not readily accepted by everyone. “E-cigarettes still have nicotine content in them. The instant you know it’s less harmful, you end up smoking it more,” says a Mumbai-based doctor.
But of course you don't end up smoking more since you're not smoking. That's the whole idea there. The story showed at least one smoker who didn't end up “smoking” more. She gave up vaping after a couple of weeks once she felt some side effects. Of course had she read my 101 article on withdrawal symptoms it might have helped.
