Mark Benson – “Interesting insight into electronic cigarettes and New York City”

There has been significant media attention over the last few months on the decision by former leader of the New York authorities, Mayor Bloomberg, to bring electronic cigarettes under the same regulatory framework as tobacco cigarettes. This was a highly controversial move made in the final throes of his reign of power and while there are ongoing legal actions to reverse the move, the NYMAG.COM website undertook an interesting spot survey of 100 New Yorkers.

While this is in no way scientific, because of the relatively small number of people involved, it does give an insight into the way in which New Yorkers are thinking about electronic cigarettes. Some of the trends to emerge will shock, surprise and illustrate the lack of knowledge about new restrictions in New York City.

Have you ever smoked an e-cigarette?

When you bear in mind the political arguments against electronic cigarettes it may surprise you to learn that 37% of those questioned have smoked an electronic cigarette. This perfectly illustrates the growing influence of these new devices and the fact that they are in many cases taking the place of their tobacco cigarette counterparts.

Are you familiar with New York City regulations on smoking electronic cigarettes?

It was only last week that the new restrictions were formerly rubberstamped and came into effect across New York City. So, how many of those living in the area are aware of these changes?

Interestingly, despite the fact that there has been heavy media coverage a whopping 61% of those involved in the survey had no idea about the detail of the restrictions. The fact that you are not able to smoke electronic cigarettes in restaurants, bars, offices, clubs or classroom seems to have passed by many people living in the area. Is the fault of politicians, the media or individuals themselves?

Should it be legal to smoke an e-cig in doors?

Despite the fact there is a growing market for electronic cigarettes across the US a significant 57% of those questioned believe that smoking electronic cigarettes indoors should not be legal. On the surface this seems as though there is a growing resistance to electronic cigarettes in some areas of society. However, if we were to look back just a couple of years we bet the situation would have been very different. There has been improvement, electronic cigarettes are now more acceptable and this trend is gathering pace.

Can you name a celebrity that smokes electronic cigarettes?

If we take into account the fact that many politicians, and regulators, have highlighted celebrities and their use of electronic cigarettes, the results of this particular question might surprise many. A whopping 93% of those questioned could not name a celebrity who uses electronic cigarettes thereby shooting down in flames the argument that the general public are being led a merry dance by e-cig smoking celebrities.

Conclusion

This is just a snapshot of the general opinion across New York City at a time when the use of electronic cigarettes is growing not only in the US but also around the world. The 100 participants are not of sufficient numbers to be classed as scientifically relevant but for those looking towards an insight they do give an interesting snapshot of the current situation.

Mark Benson

Mark Benson is a contributing author for Spinfuel eMagazine. His continuing columns will bring a levelheaded approach to the dynamics involved in realizing a positive future for the e-cigarette industry. For more information on OK Eliquids and other products available please visit the OKCigs website.