Jack Leadbeater, chief executive officer of NJOY, a Scottsdale, Ariz., e-cigarette maker, is chairman of the E-Cigarette Association. The industry group includes many of those who sell the products, though it doesn't include Smoking Everywhere, the company whose kiosk is at Arundel Mills and other malls. He says his association's members make no claims that their device will help people quit smoking.
"It's really sold just as an alternative to allow current smokers to get nicotine in a manner that's more palatable," he said. "If this was a form of vodka that didn't cause liver damage, would we be having the same sort of problems?"
A starter e-cigarette kit typically goes for about $100. When the user inhales through the cigarette-like tube, a heating element is activated and it vaporizes a nicotine solution stored in the mouthpiece. A red light will glow on the end, simulating the burning of tobacco. The mouthpiece contains about the same amount of nicotine in a pack of cigarettes and is flavored to taste like tobacco or menthol (though some offer mint, vanilla or other flavors). The nicotine needs to be replenished at an additional charge.
William T. Godschall, executive director of Smokefree Pennsylvania, said he finds the debate about e-cigarettes to be counterproductive. He agreed that clinical trials have not been conducted, but he finds it odd that a government that can't seem to regulate cigarettes - which are known to cause cancer - is upset over a much less hazardous product.
"These e-cigarettes are at least 99.9 percent less deadly than cigarettes," he said. "Let's worry about the products that are actually killing people."
Back at the Smoking Everywhere mall kiosk, Broustin is closing in on a sale. He has blown vapor into the air to show James Papanicolas, a 19-year-old mover from Laurel, that it doesn't stink like cigarette smoke. He has explained that his product can actually help reduce nicotine addiction by allowing a smoker to choose less and less concentrated amounts of the drug over time.
Papanicolas' friend, Rose Sanders of Taneytown, isn't sold. The 27-year-old doesn't understand how an e-cigarette could ease her addiction. "It's still going to make you want another cigarette," she said. "If you have this, you're still thinking about smoking."
But Papanicolas planned to buy the e-cigarette. He thinks it will save him money in the long run, since the new filters cost far less than the $6 to $8 he shells out for a pack of Newports.
Will it help him stop smoking? "It might," Papanicolas said. "I know it will help me stop buying cigarettes."
