The latest trend in smoking, in case you’ve been hiding under a rock, is vaping. Vaping is the use of an electronic cigarette to cool the nicotine urges, a popular new hobby that is shaking up the commercial cigarette industry. Why is it making such waves?

Vaping is changing the health of the previously nicotine-addicted consumers.

“The face of Vaping is 30-50 years old,” said the owner of Smoke to Live in San Antonio. “The reality is we’re making healthier decisions for the clients.”

Vaping works by giving the consumer an e-cigarette that they smoke just as if it were a classic cigarette with one very big exception, the consumer regulates the contents of the cigarette. This means that the customer can withdraw from nicotine entirely, in small stages, by slowly decreasing the nicotine in the e-cigarette and replacing it with fruit or dessert flavors, making an after-dinner smoke more like an after dinner dessert with no calorie count.

The Legislature in Texas wants to regulate the e-cigarette industry to restrict minors from purchasing e-cig materials. Although most stores don’t sell to minors anyway, isn’t this an example of over regulation in an area where it will do more harm than good?

Surely we recall the example of James Dean smoking in Rebel without a cause, encouraging smoking by rolling a pack of cigarettes up in his pristine t-shirt sleeve. How many teens started the dangerous and potentially harmful habit of smoking the next day to imitate the coolness of Dean?

Today’s teens are no different, except the Legislature is attempting to regulate something that will improve their health, not diminish it. Vaping has been proven to be completely safe, after all, the customer is smoking water vapor with flavorings. Vaping is replacing commercial cigarettes loaded with tar, nicotine, and carcinogens, an excellent choice for health considerations. Vaping does not contribute to air pollution not does it provide litter for the sidewalks and streets to be removed. Vaping is less expensive than commercially produced cigarettes and offers an enormous variety of flavors and strengths for the discerning smoker.

Vaping is the best stop smoking aid invented that has no negative health consequences for the consumer. Remind me again why the Legislature wants to regulate this product for minors in an industry that already self-regulates? Perhaps the Legislature should again review the health benefits of vaping and look at the statistics for middle-aged smoking cessation programs. Vaping is an excellent health choice for the consumer who wants to stop placing their money in the tobacco industry coffers.