Fullerton College is a smoke-free campus, yet students continue to smoke with the new trend of e-cigarettes, known as “vapes.”

They are pen like devices that produce a flavored nicotine vapor.

They have become very popular and are being smoked not only on campus but everywhere you go. They are hanging on lanyards around people’s necks and people smoke them in local restaurants and bars.

People try to use them everywhere because vapes are not yet banned from smoking in as many places as regular cigarettes are.

So far it seems to be up to individual businesses to determine if they would like to keep e-cigarettes out or not. Although, they have recently been banned from airplanes and trains.

“No odor, no smoke, no ban!” claims Blucigs brand e-cigaretts.

Vape shops are popping up everywhere and people can’t seem to keep their lips off of them.

The liquid nicotine comes in many flavors and appeals to smokers and non-smokers alike.

Vapes don’t have an offensive smell and don’t have the cancer stigma associated with them, therefore people that would not otherwise smoke might consider giving e-cigarettes a try.

They are marketed as a safer and healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes but according to the FDA they have not been fully evaluated.

There is no real way of knowing what health hazards or benefits they have or even what chemicals they contain. This is because there are hundreds of brands and no regulations on them by the FDA.

Users are smoking these products without fully understanding the dangers they present. The American Lung Association has concerns about how much e-cigarettes really help people quit smoking. They also worry about potential safety and health consequences of the e-cigarette vapor.

The main reason smokers turn to e-cigarettes is to try and stop smoking cigarettes but if they are still addicted to nicotine then that is not healthy either. Having any kind of an addiction is unhealthy whether it causes cancer or not.

According to the American Cancer Society, e-cigarettes are still designed to deliver nicotine and it is still an addictive chemical. They fear that they will lead to the same kind of dependency as regular cigarettes.

Sure, users can try and slowly switch over from cigarettes to vapes. Then once they get hooked on vapes they can try and get themselves to quit.

But won’t it be even harder to do it now that it actually tastes and smells good? It’s simply jumping from one addiction to another.