Tobacco has been around for hundreds of years. Recently, a new way of smoking tobacco has emerged: the e-cigarette. Though not approved by the Food and Drug Administration yet, the use of e-cigarettes is on the rise among teenagers and adults alike.

If you know someone that uses an e-cigarette, you are more likely to be concerned about its effects. E-cigarettes are used mostly to help reduce the need for a regular cigarette and in many cases have helped wean off addicts from smoking real cigarettes. Until more information about the effects of using e-cigarettes becomes available, the public will not know whether real cigarettes or e-cigarettes are safer.

My sister has been a smoker for the past six years and recently started using the e-cigarette. I have noticed that she does not get as angry when she needs to smoke. I believe it will help her quit smoking.

From my perspective, I see e-cigarettes as a good thing. It may not be the healthiest thing, but it is better than smoking a cigarette that has over 11,000 contaminants.

Since this smoking device is electronic, it contains fewer contaminants than are found in a real cigarette, according to an ABC News report. For this reason, the e-cigarette could potentially be safer.

On the other hand, e-cigarettes could become a problem for students because of the consequences of using them. If caught using an e-cigarette at school, a student will face out-of-school suspension.

When a student uses an e-cigarette and is caught, his or her punishment is more severe than if the student was caught smoking a regular cigarette. Both the cigarette and e-cigarette are tobacco products, so they should be handled in the same manner.

E-cigarettes are easily disguised, due to the fact that they do not give off the smell of smoke. This allows people to use them pretty much anywhere. Students can go undetected and get away with smoking in school. In this case, the e-cigarette does not benefit anyone because it creates a distraction and also influences others to try it. During school, e-cigarettes should not be allowed, but what students do after school is up to them. It actually may prove to be a better alternative for students.

Not allowing students to smoke during class makes sense, but not being allowed to smoke on airplanes is another story. Since the e-cigarette does not pollute the air, it should be allowed in enclosed areas. The e-cigarette does not produce a harmful smoke.

For the past three years, smoking in restaurants has been banned throughout North Carolina, according to SmokeFreeNC.gov. Now that e-cigarettes are becoming prominent, some restaurants have banned them as well. I do not think they should be banned in restaurants because the vapor from the e-cigarette is not noticeable and does not bother other people.

Research is needed to figure out whether e-cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes. Once information comes out, the public will be knowledgeable. Only then will people be able to make educated choices about their health.

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