The devastating effects of cigarette smoking are heart breaking. Virtually all cigarette smokers know these effects. Not much research has been done on electronic cigarettes although skeptics believe they are no different from traditional cigarette. Electronic cigarette has been classified by the food and drug administration (FDA) as a device for delivering drugs. The FDA believes that e-cigarettes constitute both a drug delivering device and a drug.
Majority of manufacturers market electronic cigarettes as, the easiest and most effective, way to help in stop smoking or as an alternative to regular cigarettes. Not much evidence is available to support these benefits although it is now believed that they might curry even greater health risks than regular cigarettes. Their safety can therefore not be guaranteed.
But now, the FDA has announced that it will begin regulating the production of e-cigarettes because it violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The FDA has also cautioned e-cigarette manufacturers against low quality manufacturing practices and unsubstantiated claims. This comes as a result of manufacturers claims that e-cigarettes have huge benefits such as reduced reliance on tobacco.
The FDA argues that the e-cigarette should not be left to flourish without proper checks because even nicotine alone is harmful to the health of users. For example; nicotine has been liked to coronary artery diseases, heart problems and high blood pressure. Nicotine also contributes to peptic ulcer diseases, stroke and risk of contracting ulcer.
The number of e-cigarette users has also been increasing at an alarming rate. In 2009, barely a few years after its invention, total number of people using e-cigarette was estimated to be 300,000 .the actual figure was believed to be more than that and is believed to have doubled in 2010. At this rate, cigarette related deaths will increase three folds if not much is done to curb the spread of electronic cigarettes.