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No.319 オリジナル英文

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Hey, Got a Light?
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You've heard of e-mail, e-books, and maybe e-commerce.

But what a lot of Americans are talking about now are e-cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes, mostly made in China, first appeared in the United States a couple of years ago, and they're no longer a novelty.

An estimated one-half-million Americans, especially those who are trying to kick the smoking habit, have switched to them.

The federal government, which heavily regulates tobacco products, wants to oversee e-cigarettes as well.

But their makers are fighting hard to prevent it.

E-cigs look like cigarettes.

They even have a cork-like filter.

When the user inhales deeply, a battery activates an atomizer that quickly heats a chamber full of water, nicotine, and a chemical that has a faintly sweet taste.

But taking a long drag on an e-cig is not smoking.

There's no smoke, no second-hand smoke, no cigarette butts on the floor.

There's no lighting up with a match or lighter, either - just a cool, electric-red glow at the end of the e-cig stick.

So technically, e-cigarettes would not seem to violate no-smoking restrictions in public places.

The trade group that is supporting e-cigarette manufacturers in court estimates that an e-cig kit costing a little less than $100 can last a former pack-a-day cigarette smoker ten days.

The industry maintains that smokeless cigarettes are not stop-smoking devices, even though many e-cig users say they almost miraculously helped them end or reduce their smoking habits.

But several states and the federal Food and Drug Administration insist that nicotine is nicotine - addictive and subject to their control.

The music industry can't be happy about e-cigs, either.

If sales keep growing, popular song lyrics like Smoke Gets in Your Eyes won't work any more.

I’m Ted Landphair.
by danueno | 2009-12-02 14:48 | オリジナル英文


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