Good day, sir.
I am writing this letter in reference to Bill H 3109 as it pertains to electronic cigarettes. First heres a little history on myself. I smoked cigarettes for about ten years. I generally averaged a pack per day of the full flavored brands. I tried various methods to quit them to include gum, patches, lozenges, smokeless
tobacco, and Wellbutrin. None of those methods worked, so it seemed to me that smoking was going to be a bad habit in my life.
Then one day as I was travelling on business, I struck up a conversation with a nice lady in the smoking area of the Atlanta airport. She was using a personal vaporizer or electronic cigarette as you may know them. She gave me the run down on where to order them and how to research various models and such.
So for the next week, all of my spare time was spent researching these devices. I learned that they use either Propylene Glycol or Vegetable Glycerin to deliver a predetermined amount of nicotine and flavor to the user by way of atomization at the point of a heated coil which is powered by a battery source. I also discovered that aside from the nicotine, all of the other ingredients could be found in various other substances deemed safe to consume. For example, Propylene Glycol is used in the medical field as a carrier for medicine in inhalers and nebulizers due to its unique water retaining abilities. Im sure if you do more research on the ingredients, youll find a similar theme amongst them.
So after learning all of this, I ordered a starter kit from an online vendor which arrived about a week later. I followed all of the included instructions as well as those I found in online forums, and a few hours later I was
vaping on my new personal vaporizer. That was about a year ago, and I have not smoked cigarettes since that time.
My request to you is to push for the removal of electronic cigarettes from this bill. I ask this, because this is a product that I personally believe in, and I have seen it do wonders for both myself and my friends in the quest to cease the use of
tobacco products. I do not feel that it is fair to lump personal vaporizers in with traditional cigarettes as they do not produce any smoke, only water vapor. I think its the name electronic cigarette, which is purely a marketing term, is what frightens the general public who has not taken the time to do research on their own.
Furthermore if you look at the spirit of the smoking bans throughout their short history, you will find that they have been emplaced to reduce the risk of the ill-effects associated with second hand smoke for those who do not smoke. Personal vaporizers have never been proven to cause any negative side effects to those who use them nor those who inhale second-hand vapor. So to include these devices in such a ban should seem illogical to the informed person.
Sincerely,
My Name
Hampton, SC
