It is a pretty far-fetched idea to argue that the electronic cigarette is one of the greatest inventions of recent years, but ask a smoker and they’ll tell you otherwise.

For those who haven’t seen our city's hipsters sucking down a black pen-looking-thing every 20 seconds, an electronic cigarette (also known as an e-cig) is a device that allows smokers to inhale nicotine through flavored water vapor. The product's sales pitch is that it offers the same feelings but without the smoke, smell and carcinogens of a normal cigarette.

But now, a ban led by Senate Majority Leader Ellen M. Corbett is threatening the luxury that is the electronic cigarette: convenience. The proposed ban insists on treating electronic cigarettes under the same guidelines as normal cigarettes, limiting smoking at "residential dwelling units, school campuses, public buildings, as defined, places of employment, day care facilities, retail food facilities, and health facilities.”

Corbett argues that “SB 648 limits the use of e-cigarettes as they pose unknown health risks in a public space. We must always stand on the side of public health since we still do not yet fully understand the safety of chemicals present in e-cigarette vapors or when nicotine itself leaks from the products. It simply makes sense to regulate e-cigarettes as a tobacco product when they are already prohibited in many public spaces.”

However, smokers plan to not go down without a fight as a Change.org petition has already been surfing around the web and grabbing tremendous support.  Many believe the electronic cigarette, like marijuana smoke vapor, is a far healthier option for the body and also offers smokers trying to quit a much better alternative to the norm.

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