"Cigarettes Without Smoke, or Regulation"

"FALL RIVER, Mass. -- During 34 years of smoking, Carolyn Smeaton has tried countless ways to reduce her three-pack-a-day habit, including a nicotine patch, nicotine gum and a prescription drug. But stop-smoking aids always failed her.

Then, having watched a TV infomercial at her home here, Ms. Smeaton tried an electronic cigarette, which claimed to be a less dangerous way to feed her addiction. The battery-powered device she bought online delivered an odorless dose of nicotine and flavoring without cigarette tar or additives, and produced a vapor mist nearly identical in appearance to tobacco smoke."

Katie Zezima reports for the New York Times June 1, 2009.

See Also:

"Controversy Swirls Around E-Cigarettes" (Wall St. Journal)