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It’s been a quiet, but thoroughrevolution. It started in the pubsor, to be precise, outside thepubs; elbowed-out smokersswapping their Marlboros and

Bensons for a little metal and plasticcigarette that contains all the nicotinebut none of the smoke and far less ofthe nastiness.

Today, it’s a thriving industry.Electric cigarettes – E-cigs as theyare known – have replaced a pack of20 in smokers’ top pockets.

The E-cig shops have started toappear in our high streets. At the lastcount, there were five, possibly more –they seem to crop up at an alarmingrate – in Leicester; more again in thecounty.

A smoky wind of change isblowing across the nation. So what’shappening? And why is it happening?

What’s happening is that, finally,smokers are getting wise, says LouiseRoss, stop smoking services andtobacco control manager for the NHStrust.

A vehement anti-smokingcampaigner, Louise was originallyopposed to E-cigarettes.

“But then I attended an E-cig summitin London and I realised their potentialto reduce the risk of harmful smoking,”she says. “I’ve had a useful insight intothe benefits of E-cigs. I am veryconvinced.”

Louise and many converted “vapers’’say there is a huge difference betweencombustible cigarette smoke andelectronic vapour.

E-cigs work with a battery-operatedatomiser that burns the flavouredliquid nicotine in the chamber. Thisgives addicts a direct hit of nicotine andproduces a water vapour mist.

This is infinitely better and safer thansmoking, says Louise. “I’ve looked atthe mythology around E-cigs and thenegativity comes from scare storiesrather than facts,” she says.

“A lot of what is published isn’t trueand people make assumptions aboutvapour being harmful. It isn’t.”

It’s important, though, says Louise, tobuy from a retailer with a goodreputation. In Leicester, vapers arespoilt for choice. The industry is littlemore than five years old, but is quicklyincreasing in popularity.

Electric cigarettes were introduced in2007 – around the same time as thesmoking ban was introduced. Thenumber of people who use them in theUK has tripled over the past two yearsto 2.1 million, according to the charityAction on Smoking and Health.

Smokers Exit, in Cheapside, nearLeicester Market, was one of the firstE-cig stores in the city.

“When we opened in December,2012, people were drawn to theproducts out of curiosity,” says thestore’s Jack Price.

“Nobody knew what they were. Now,people come in and they know morethan me. People’s knowledge of theproducts is healthy for business and weare looking to expand to other areas inLeicester.”

But they say there is no smokewithout fire. The vapour which lookssimilar to cigarette smoke has causedcontroversy, with many pubs banningtheir use. Pub chain Weatherspoonbanned E-cigs four years ago.

Eddie Gershon, of Weatherspoon,said they did it to maintain a level

playing field. “The reason we bannedE-cigarettes is that it is difficult todistinguish between E-cigarettes andreal cigarettes in our busy pubs,” saysEddie.

“Therefore, a lot of our staff keptcoming from behind the bar to checkand it wasted a lot of their time. We feltit was easier to ban them outright – wehave not had any issues with it and willnot be reversing this.”

Apart from distracting busy bar staff,is there a reason to be concerned aboutelectronic vapour?

Yes, says Dr Ram Moorthy, of theBritish Medical Association.

Not so much because of the vapour –the vapour is merely that; it is watervapour, not smoke.

What E-cigarettes do, he says, isnormalise smoking behaviour.

“The smoking ban has started tosucceed. It is making smoking sociallyunacceptable,” says Dr Moorthy. E-cigs,he says, are undoing much of that goodwork.

Not everyone agrees. Robert West,Professor of Health Psychology andDirector of Tobacco Studies at theUniversity of London, says that’s notthe case. E-cigs help smokers kick thehabit – they’re not enticing non-smokers to start smoking.

“There is no evidence to back the

assertion that E-cigs are encouragingpeople to smoke. A recent expert paneljudged E-cigarettes to be at least 20times safer than cigarettes.

“There can be no doubt that if everysmoker switched to them it would savetens of thousands of lives every year.”

New legislation – due to come intoforce in 2016 – will regulate all E-cigliquids as medicines. It could also closethe growing number of stores sproutingup all over Leicestershire.

If E-cigarettes were to be classed asmedicine the product will be strictlycontrolled. Good news for consumers,perhaps – not such good news for thecrop of stores opening.

It may also mean the wide variety offlavours – vapers can chose from thelikes of cherry, cotton candy, liquoriceand pear – would be limited and thestrength of nicotine would be a thing ofthe past.

Joe Lucas, store manager atEcigwizard in Granby Street, Leicester,says this might not be well received in“vaping’’ circles.

“If the Government turn it into amedicine, then the choice will go downdramatically, I think,” he says.

“You would have to go to a chemistto get your liquids. I don’t know howthat will work – will you have to queuefor your nicotine with heroin addicts

The number of peopleusing E-cigarettes in theUK has tripled during thepast two years to 2.1million. But controversystill rages about theirsafety and influence.Elizabeth Howlett reports

HERE TO STAY: Joe Lucas, of Ecigwizard, says ‘The successstories we hear makes my job rewarding’ PICTURES: BETH WALSH

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queuing for methadone? It’s a bigdifference from coming into a shop.”

Natasha Foxon, manager of the Cig-Estall in Highcross, says the legislativechanges could have a negative effect.

“They’ll just drive it underground,”she says. “People will make their ownliquids and sell them on markets. Therewill be a black market. If the industrygoes away, people may be exploited byunsafe sellers trying to earn a fast buck.

So – will E-cigs go up in a puff ofsmoke?

The NHS official line is that it cannotdetermine any potential harm tosmokers until they have been studiedover time, but they concede that E-cigsare “the lesser of two evils”.

Even though there is little medicalevidence to suggest the vapour isharmful, the E-cigs still haven’t got theall-clear.

The risk of faulty or poorly regulatedproducts is a big concern for sellers.Stores such as Ecigwizard have takenevery precaution, says Joe.

“We have to be careful. I’ve seenpeople buy batteries from unregulatedsellers that import their products andthat isn’t okay. All our juice is made inour main production clean room inPeterborough.

“The company spent about £120,000on this feature to ensure our products

are of the highest standard. Now theshops are in town rather than online ithas made it easier for people to quit –plus it’s good for the area.

“Our stores have created more jobsand revenue, the success stories wehear makes my job rewarding.”

Whatever happens, it seems onething is certain: E-cigs and vaping ishere to stay.

In Leicester, at least, people seem toprefer vaping to smoking.

Cordell Wheeler, 52, of Saffron Lane,is a non-smoker – but his partner hasswapped fags for E-cigs.

“Banning E-cigarettes becausethey produce vapour is like banninga kettle because it produces steam,”he says.

“And that’s coming from a non-smoker. I don’t know why they’ve beenbanned in pubs. There’s no law for that– morally or legally.”

The Government will have to tread acareful line. Reducing choice – andmaybe introducing a big tax rise –might be counter-productive.

John Dixon, 56, is a vaper from NewParks, who works on Leicester Market.

He said: “There are more peoplesmoking E-cigarettes now. I can’tunderstand why they would want tochange it too much. If they do, I mightgo back to smoking.” ●M:

No smoke withoutfire? Filteringout the factsand mythsbehind theE-cigs revolution

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