Electronic cigarettes, that is.If your initial response was, "What the &*@#! is that," that'd probably be an appropriate reaction. This is something that most people have not heard of because it's so new and the media hasn't really picked up on it yet. It's on the horizon, but is it fad or phenomenon?
Basically there are these devices that vaguely (and some closely) resemble cigarettes and cigars, but are actually high-tech gizmos that vaporize nicotine and a misting agent when you drag on them, attempting to replicate the experience of smoking. When you exhale, it looks just like smoke streaming out. . . except it isn't. It evaporates rapidly, leaves no smell, and isn't harmful to anyone around you. This fake "smoke" doesn't contain any actual tobacco, there's no tar or any carcinogens. And it's not the product of combustion. So, in theory, it's legal to "smoke" these things anywhere -- in a bar, in a restaurant, at your desk, even on a plane.
I'll tell you firsthand, it's obviously not the same. The taste isn't the same, it's a bit sweet but it's not unpleasant. And there are lots of flavors, they could probably make it taste like anything you want. The inhale feels a bit harsh. But you definitely get the nicotine, no question about it. Not quite as fast and not quite as much of a hit, but the thing I tried really worked. Google Gamucci and Njoy. There are tons of videos already.
The broader point I'm trying to make is, this technology is brand new. It will only get better. The devices will get smaller and cheaper, and they will become more and more successful at replicating real smoking. Consider the implications.
What would happen if you could take away (nearly) all of the many downsides of smoking and keep what's good about it? Are we possibly going to see smoking take a u-turn and start making it's way *back* indoors?
Is there a Brave New World ahead?!
P.S. Realized this doesn't help out Dark Side fetishists much. . .
