'Smokeless' cigarettes targeted by FDA
Posted at: 05/22/2009 9:19 PM
By: Jeremy Jojola, Eyewitness News 4; Charlie Pabst, KOB.com
Smokesource 51
Instead of lighting up, a device allows users to get their fix through water vapor, and it looks almost identical to the real thing.
But not everyone is happy about the "e-cigarette" that can legally be puffed indoors.
The nicotine delivery devices are touted as safer, but the government isn’t so sure; it’s trying to stop shipments of the gadgets into the U.S.
Albuquerque resident Jo Davis says it’s the final key to her quitting smoking after the nicotine patch and gum failed.
"It addresses the whole issue of smoking: The hand thing, the oral gratification...and even smoke," she said Friday.
Dominic Montoya sells the devices in Albuquerque under the name "Smokesource 51" and his sales pitch is that they’re healthier and cleaner for customers.
Montoya said, "They're feeling a lot better, they no longer have the smell because there's no secondary smoke."
The Food and Drug Administration says that the electronic cigarettes "could lead to an increase in the use of conventional tobacco products by young people."
The FDA has started to refuse importation of the device from China, because it hasn’t been approved by the agency.
The American Cancer Society has the same concerns.
"These products are flying under the radar of state and federal regulations, and so we are really urging our public officials to take a very close look at these products," said Tracy Cadigan of the Cancer Action Network.
The devices are available online for around $30 and at local malls, they’re going for about $150.
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