As a sophomore in high school, Alex TerBush picked up a cigarette for the first time. It started as a pack-and-a-half-day habit.
As a sophomore in college, he picked up an electronic cigarette and eventually weaned himself off tobacco products completely.
He hasn't had a drag of a normal cigarette for two years.
Though some people struggle with patches, gums and lozenges as a way to stop smoking, TerBush went straight for an electronic cigarette. E-cigarettes continue to be a topical conversation, as society ponders potential regulation and the question of the device's effectiveness as a cessation method. TerBush is an example of one of the many students turning to e-cigs. But the debate about the product isn't just happening nationally and internationally - it's happening at UB, too. UB's anti-smoking policy bans e-cig use.
Though research is still being conducted on the effects and potential health risks of e-cigs, many see them as a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes.
"They're not pristine," said Gary Giovino, professor and chair of the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior at UB. "They're not brown rice and broccoli. But the point is, people who smoke regular cigarettes are getting nicotine ... So if we got all the people who smoke cigarettes onto e-cigarettes and some of them even quit, that would be a great thing."
Almost 3.5 million Americans smoke electronic cigarettes, according to the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Association. Electronic cigarettes are not currently regulated under the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). This places e-cigarettes in an area where there are no restrictions on the content inside of the devices' cartridges. Inside the cigarette-like tube are "juices," which come in a variety of flavors, from menthol to chocolate.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said one-fifth of adult smokers have tried e-cigarettes. The devices have also become second in smoking cessation methods behind going "cold turkey," according to Forbes.
The UBreathe Free policy revised its terms in 2010 to include electronic cigarettes under the methods of smoking prohibited on campus.
Jordan Boulware, a senior business major, thinks it is an "abuse of power" to say that students are not allowed to use electronic cigarettes on campus.
UB Wellness Education Services advocates harm-reduction methods to help quit smoking. The center, however, does not support using electronic cigarettes as one of those methods.
Sharlynn Daun-Barnett works at UB Wellness Education Services and has been helping students quit smoking since 2002. She agrees with the center's belief to not use e-cigs as a means of quitting.
"It is helpful to do something different like wear a patch or chew gum while you create a new habit," Daun-Barnett said. "Because, otherwise, you're reducing your nicotine but you're not creating a lifestyle that's different for the long term."
Boulware believes e-cigs only carry a stigma because the term "cigarettes" is attached to it.
Another concern with e-cigs is the opportunity for those who haven't smoked to use them as a gateway to nicotine or regular cigarettes.
"I just know it's a very new product and I worry about people who don't know - who like the flavors but may be putting themselves at risk," Daun-Barnett said.
Giovino shares this concern regarding the regulation of e-cigs. Regulation could restrict marketing to kids - which includes the flavorings that appeal to younger users - and promote harm reduction, he said.
Giovino believes e-cigarettes should be properly regulated. And if corporations "cannibalize" regular cigarette sales, this would allow e-cigarette sales to go up, and he views that as a positive effect.
"We don't know enough about them but that's something that can be easily solved," Giovino said. "I think there's great potential for good but with very strong caveats."
TerBush, a first-year graduate student in physical therapy, decided to quit smoking because of his health-related field of study.
"Practice what you preach," he said, referring to his decision to stop using traditional cigarettes and building up tar on his lungs.
"[E-cigs] should definitely be held to different standards. As more studies are done on the effects of electronic cigarettes on people's health, I think there will be a larger divide between the two because it is just a nicotine delivery system. But it is addictive, so they might see it as an addictive substance."
The adverse public effects of electronic cigarettes are not the same as normal cigarettes, according to TerBush, but he understands why the university would want to ban it.
Electronic cigarettes are being advertised similar to how cigarettes were advertised almost 50 years ago, according to Giovino.
Mitch Cochran is a sales associate at Juicy Vapor, an e-cigs specialty store, and has been using his device for about two years.
Cochran said he does not understand why non-smokers would start using e-cigarettes.
"In terms of people who don't smoke cigarettes, I don't necessarily want someone who doesn't smoke cigarettes to come in, start running out of fruit flavors to try and pick up a tobacco flavor," Cochran said. "They're going to go, 'I kind of like the taste of this, I wonder what an actual cigarette tastes like.'"
The question, according to Giovino, is: How would the FDA regulate e-cigs?
If the FDA does set up a policy, Giovino thinks it should "maximize the probability that people who use cigarettes will instead switch, and the people who never use don't find them attractive."
Many students who have switched from regular cigarettes to e-cigs do not believe the device should be used if you have never smoked before.
"The reason I would say switch to an e-cig if you smoked previously, is because it's the lesser of two evils," TerBush said. "If you don't smoke anything, I wouldn't say smoke electronic cigarettes."
Boulware thinks those who use e-cigs without nicotine mostly view them as "mobile hookah."
The cost of a basic electronic cigarette kit is about $40, according to Cochran. But the devices may go up to more than $100.
The initial cost of an e-cig model may seem large, but the cumulative amount a normal cigarette smoker spends on packs is typically more expensive in the long run.
Giovino thinks it is a great alternative but the best option is always to avoid starting.
"The issue becomes, 'What are we against?'" he said. "Are we against cancer, heart attacks, emphysema or bronchitis? Or are we against addiction?"
For him, it's a "no-brainer."
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