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420 feature
Where There’s Smoke...
VAPING’S POPULARITY RISES IN ATHENS
By Maria Lewczyk music@flagpole.com
a recent sunny day in downtown Athens, people
lined the streets. Out of the crowds of people,
clouds of smoke-like fog rose into the air. But it wasn’t com
ing from cigarettes, and it smelled like... fruit.
The trend of “vaping” started as an alternative to smok
ing. By puffing on mechanisms filled with combinations of
propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine concentration
and flavoring, users take advantage of what is supposedly a
healthier alternative to cigarettes. (Recent studies have cast
doubt on this claim, linking vaping to various health risks.)
Herbert A. Gilbert, the inventor of the smokeless, non
tobacco cigarette, is considered the father of the vaporizer
(vape for short). His patented designs were for a mecha
nism with a flavor cartridge at one end and a controlled
heating unit within the product—all the basics of a mod
ern-day vape.
In 2003, a medical researcher from China named Hon
Lik released a new version of a smokeless cigarette. His
design, released to the public in 2006, included a battery,
a plastic cartridge filled
with nicotine solution and
propylene glycol and an
atomizer. This electronic
cigarette is the design used
for popular brands such as
blu eCigs and Vuse, and are
called “cig-a-likes” for their
close physical resemblance
to a cigarette.
As vaping’s popularity
increased in the mid-2000s,
people began “modding”
their vapes, creating differ
ent variations and physical
structures based on the
characteristics they wanted
most. DIY vape culture
gained momentum through
the internet. Purchasing
parts for custom-made
vapes became easier, and the
demand for better vapes and different juices kept growing.
Currently, there are three variations: the vape, the
e-hookah and the electronic cigarette. The only difference
between a vape and an e-hookah is the presence of nicotine.
While vapes use juices with nicotine concentrations ranging
between zero-12 milligrams per milliliter, e-hookahs use
juice that contains no nicotine, just vegetable glycerin and
flavoring.
Because vapes allow for different ranges of nicotine
concentrations, they help habitual smokers lessen their
addiction or kick the habit entirely. Garrett Macfalda, a
28-year-old Athens line cook, started smoking at age 17
and used vaping as a means to quit smoking. “For most of
my life, I’ve been a pack-a-day smoker,” says Macfalda. “The
biggest benefit for me is that it’s a nicotine delivery system
that isn’t killing me. I’ve had less than 10 cigarettes this
year since I took vaping back up.”
The maximum concentration of nicotine provided in
vape juice is 12 milligrams per milliliter, which is equivalent
to one cigarette. However, many smokers turned vapers
drop their consumption down to around three milligrams
per milliliter, where they hover or stop their nicotine intake
completely. According to Andrew Dingman, the manager at
Vape Dynamiks, the best way to quit smoking is to change
your taste palate.
“People pick a fruity flavor or something that tastes
nothing like a cigarette, and they get set on that, because
even though it doesn’t taste like a cigarette, it’s a whole new
thing altogether. It satiates their fixation,” says Dingman.
“People that get tobacco-like flavors end up just going back
to their cigarettes, because they’re trying to emulate a ciga
rette, but it’s just not that good at it.”
E-cigarettes are commonly characterized by the dispos
able pen shape, and are available at gas stations. Unlike
the vape, an e-cig is designed for limited-time use and does
not provide user control over flavor and other settings. “I
went through three of those things at $60 each, and every
two weeks the batteries would just die,” says Dingman. “I
looked into it, and all the big name e-cigs you can buy at
gas stations are all made by cigarette companies. Electronic
cigarettes are designed by cigarette companies specifically
to fail.”
Although the claim seems far-fetched, in April 2012 the
blu eCigs company was purchased by the Lorillard Tobacco
Company, which was in turn bought in 2015 by Imperial
Brands PLC, the world’s fourth-largest international
cigarette company. “Cigarette companies have controlled
tobacco taxation and trade for over 100 years, and the only
reason that something like [vapes] didn’t happen before
was because any time [a vape supplier] popped up, they
were snuffed out,” says Dingman.
The rivalry between tobacco and vape companies is
coming to a head. Over the past couple of years, states and
counties have passed legislation banning the use of vapes
and other mechanisms, calling their presence a nuisance
and comparing their use to that of a cigarette.
“Vape legislation is currently centered around treating
it like a traditional cigarette or tobacco product, which is
an immense mistake. Vaping is allowing so many people to
quit smoking that legislating it into the ground is going to
literally kill people,” says Macfalda.
Unfriendly legislation isn’t the only issue facing vapor
izers. The growing percentage of “hobbyists,” or people who
vape for the fun of it, cast a shadow on the practice. Many
hobbyists mod their vapes to produce the most fog, often
doing “vape tricks” with the clouds. Trent Johnson, a stu
dent at the University of Georgia, does not vape and says
the hobbyists give vaping a negative stigma.
“Vaping as an alternative to smoking is something I
think I can get behind, but the people who vape for fun just
blow my mind,” said Johnson. “I think there’s a sense of
empowerment they get when they release a huge vape cloud
indoors. It’s synonymous with guys who drive big trucks
or wear cut-off shirts to show off their biceps. I’m just not
impressed.”
With vape technology constantly evolving, these ciga
rette alternatives are becoming a popular choice amongst
habitual smokers. However, with great smoke comes great
responsibility. According to Dingman, vaping includes a
code of responsibility. The bottom line is respect. “Inside
of a restaurant, don’t be a jerk about it. Don’t vape in
Walmart. The etiquette is always to ask someone who works
there first if they’re OK with vaping.” ©
12 FLAGP0LE.C0M-APRIL 20, 2016
TBEC REVIEW / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS