Anti-smoking laws cover e-cigarettes
Estelle Green affectionately refers to her electronic cigarette as her "lifesaver."
The Haiku Plantation grandmother began smoking cigarettes decades ago as a senior in high school. She quit for a few years but returned to her two-plus pack-a-day habit after gaining 25 pounds. Since switching to an e-cigarette three years ago, Green said she's saved hundreds of dollars, banished the lingering tobacco smell that bothered her grandchildren and says the spots on her lungs and her wheeze have vanished.
But the switch brought something even better.
"I'm able to sing in church," she said, "and I can hit the higher notes."
Green has joined millions of people nationwide who have made the switch from traditional cigarettes that burn tobacco to e-cigarettes, the tobacco-free, battery-powered technology that delivers nicotine in vapor form. For a new generation of smokers -- and older ones who have found themselves increasingly ostracized -- e-cigarettes are seen as a hipper alternative to smoking and one that is more socially acceptable.
The estimated 3.5 million users nationwide represent a nearly fivefold increase in three years, according to the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association. Electronic cigarettes are a $600 million market, the association says.
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