Electronic Cigarettes: New Hope for Smokers?

When Rahul Roy Chowdhury, my bosom friend from school, told me over phone about his plans to launch electronic cigarettes in the Indian market a year ago, I din’t take him seriously. While he kept saying that it was going to be a big leap from conventional cigarettes, I was confused and found it hard to believe that there existed things called electronic cigarettes. To my surprise, he came on Google Video Chat and showed an electronic cigarette live in action!

More surprise followed when weeks later we got a hands on feel of the e-ciggie in one of our friendly addas and we were like: “Man, this thing works!” This year in August, Rahul went on to officially launch his own brand of electronic cigarettes in the market. Enter Foschia – a product of RRR Chemicals i.e. Rahul’s company. I became the prestigious owner of the first pack of Foschia! :D On Rahul’s request, I am writing a review of this unique product.

The electronic cigarette: look, feel and taste

The electronic cigarette looks very much a normal cigarette to me, only slightly longer. There is even a LED light at the tip that lights up red every time you take a puff. What you inhale and exhale instead of the smoke is a vapour, white in colour and almost resembling smoke. The kick you get on smoking is of course there, thanks to the nicotine.

These cigarettes come in different flavours like tobacco, menthol, etc. The taste is near-exact like normal cigarettes but the feeling of warmth is lacking, my friends who are into smoking complain. Which is apparent as there is no burning involved.

The cartridge containing the liquefied nicotine is replaceable and is the only running cost of the device. The cartridges come in ‘zero’, ‘medium’ and ‘high’ nicotine varieties. So if you choose to cut down on nicotine completely you can go for the nicotine-free cartridges.

Contents of smoke in conventional cigarettes

When tobacco is burned, the resultant smoke contains 4000 other compounds in addition to nicotine. The smoke is composed of a fine aerosol and a vapor phase. The aerosolised particulate phase contains a large number of toxic constituents and carcinogenic compounds and is responsible for the bulk of the toxicity and carcinogenecity of the smoke. The vapor phase contains carbon monoxide, respiratory irritants, and ciliotoxins as well as many of the volatile compounds responsible for the distinctive smell of the cigarette smoke.

Benefits of electronic cigarettes

The electronic cigarette delivers vaporized nicotine to the smoker. The battery-power atomizer takes care of the vaporization. By cutting down on tobacco, combustion and hence the smoke, electronic cigarettes claim to be a safer alternative to smokers as much of the health risks associated with smoking can be attributed to the cigarette smoke.

However, the adverse affects of nicotine will still be there.

Marketing

I am sure Rahul is putting all he learned during his MBA years in right use. He has to make sure Foschia is properly marketed if he wants it to reach everyone. According to Rahul, although the initial price to get a pack of Foschia may be high but in the long run it comes cheaper than normal cigarettes if you consider the price of cartridges.

My Take

I recommend no smoking at all and endorse no form of cigarettes. While electronic cigarettes are fancy and apparently probably without many of the side effects of conventional cigarettes, there needs to be more clinical studies to ensure nicotine containing electronic cigarettes are completely safe. The nicotine-free cigarettes are very much welcome though – these could be a major help for people trying to quit.

Tagged as: Electronic cigarette, Foschia, Smoking