Most people these days have heard about the phenomenon of electronic cigarettes, also known as “e-cigs,” but many may hear about vaping and wonder “What is vaping?” Vaping refers to the use of an electronic cigarette or vaporizer, and it is similar to the act of smoking a tobacco cigarette. Unlike cigarettes, however, electronic cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, tar, and carcinogens. Instead, they are made with a e liquid containing only propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerin and flavoring, and they can be made with or without nicotine.
Many people have turned to the use of disposable or rechargeable electronic cigarettes in an effort to quit smoking, but they may not know about how long these devices have actually been around. E cigarettes have been on the market for quite a while, and in recent years, more and more vaping shops have popped up all over the United States. Current estimates state that there are around 16,000 of these shops around the country, up from 10,000 last year.
Vaping history actually dates back further than one might think. Even though vapor cigarettes have been commercially available for about ten years now in the U.S., they were actually first invented in the 1960s and made to produce a water vapor. These smokeless cigarettes never got past the prototype stage, however, and were never available for purchase.
Around 10 years ago, however, vaping history was made when a Chinese pharmaceutical business began producing vapor cigarettes as part of an effort to create an effective smoking cessation product. In fact, further research has shown that e cigs are better for quitting smoking than gum and patches are — by as much as 60% more effective, according to one study. Other companies in the U.S. and abroad began producing e cigarettes, and they have since become more innovative and unique.
Where earlier e cigs were considered “cigalikes,” meant to look like regular cigarettes, today they take on all different kinds of shapes. Vaporizers, for example, are more complicated devices that are often closer in size to cigars or hookahs than cigarettes. These devices also come in a variety of different flavors, and today there are more than 7,700 different flavors of e liquid that can be placed into electronic cigarettes.
What’s next in the long line of vaping history? Surely more innovation is to come as this exciting industry continues to evolve. What do you think is next?
