Some habitual smokers experiencing difficulties quitting smoking have been able to moderate their nicotine dependency by turning to “electronic cigarettes”.
Also known as a personal vaporizer, an electronic cigarette is a battery-powered device that provides doses of nicotine inhaled from a vaporized solution, and is a new alternative to tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.
“I have been struggling to stop smoking for years. Thanks to this new device, I might be able to avoid cigarettes,” office staffer Kurniawan Wiratno, 29, said, adding that he used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day, but now only smokes after meals.
“I’ve been using the electronic cigarette for three weeks, and that costs me only Rp 150,000 [US$16.65] for a set. Smoking real cigarettes hardly feels as good as it used to,” Kurinawan told The Jakarta Post recently.
Although there are many kinds of electronic cigarettes, each employs the same basic components: a mouthpiece, a heating element, a rechargeable battery, and various electronic circuits.
Zizi, who began smoking during her second year of high school, used the electronic cigarette for one month after previously smoking a pack of 16 cigarettes a day. “Now I only have three or four cigarettes a day,” the 20-year-old college student said.
“I felt like I was smoking a shisha [Arabic water pipe]. By changing the mouthpiece I could easily change the flavors, which vary from strawberry to real cigarettes,” Zizi said.
Each time she wanted to smoke, she puffed the electronic cigarette, replacing the mouthpiece after every 100 puffs.
Her mother, Angel, 53, was also a heavy smoker before using the electronic cigarette. Angel and other electronic cigarette users say they never felt any negative side effects from using the product.
Some people bought the electronic cigarettes from online stores or community websites.
The Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) declared electronic cigarettes dangerous and illegal earlier this month.
“Based on a Food and Drug Association [FDA] report in the United States, the World Health Organization has stated that the product is unsafe for consumption,” BPOM Narcotics and Addictive Substances Director Danardi Sosrosumihardjo said, adding that he would work with the Ministry of Trade to prevent the sale of electronic cigarettes in Indonesia.
An FDA study last year found that the actual nicotine levels did not always correspond with the amount of nicotine the cartridges claimed to contain, but According to the American Association of Public Health Physicians, the FDA study failed to support claims of adverse health effects caused by using electronic cigarettes. (rch)
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