MARYLAND & PENNSYLVANIA - Some smokers have kicked the habit and picked up another one.
"I don't smell like an ashtray, which is a big benefit," says Derek Small.
"There's many different flavors compared to a nasty tasting cigarette," says Mike Miner.
They call it "vaping," inhaling nicotine vapor through electronic-cigarettes.
"You know there's days where we see 15 people throughout the day," says Steven Kane, Owner of Vast Vapor.
Kane saw the business potential and opened Vast Vapor last year. Electronic-cigarette kits start at about $60 and the nicotine liquid is around $10. Most of his sales are made through the website.
"Most people get two to four weeks out of a single bottle so you're literally spending $15 every few weeks to a month," says Kane.
"Yeah it was a substantial saving and now I just have to buy the flavoring and nicotine liquid," says Miner.
Right now about 45 million people smoke in the U.S. compared to 2.5 million people who vape. But some analysts say the use of e-cigs could surpass traditional ones in the next decade.
"You know a traditional cigarette has up to 4000 chemicals, tar and a lot of things that cause cancer, where an electronic cigarette primarily has four ingredients none of which are known to cause cancer," says Kane.
Dr. Kalim Ahmed specializes in pulmonology and says, "About 50 percent of the cancer in the body is related to smoking of cigarettes and tobacco products. So if you're decreasing that somehow, that's a good thing. We don't know what the impact is of this new device."
Electronic-cigarette sales are projected to top $1 billion this year, but it's still only a small fraction of the tobacco market.
"I don't smell like an ashtray, which is a big benefit," says Derek Small.
"There's many different flavors compared to a nasty tasting cigarette," says Mike Miner.
They call it "vaping," inhaling nicotine vapor through electronic-cigarettes.
"You know there's days where we see 15 people throughout the day," says Steven Kane, Owner of Vast Vapor.
Kane saw the business potential and opened Vast Vapor last year. Electronic-cigarette kits start at about $60 and the nicotine liquid is around $10. Most of his sales are made through the website.
"Most people get two to four weeks out of a single bottle so you're literally spending $15 every few weeks to a month," says Kane.
"Yeah it was a substantial saving and now I just have to buy the flavoring and nicotine liquid," says Miner.
Right now about 45 million people smoke in the U.S. compared to 2.5 million people who vape. But some analysts say the use of e-cigs could surpass traditional ones in the next decade.
"You know a traditional cigarette has up to 4000 chemicals, tar and a lot of things that cause cancer, where an electronic cigarette primarily has four ingredients none of which are known to cause cancer," says Kane.
Dr. Kalim Ahmed specializes in pulmonology and says, "About 50 percent of the cancer in the body is related to smoking of cigarettes and tobacco products. So if you're decreasing that somehow, that's a good thing. We don't know what the impact is of this new device."
Electronic-cigarette sales are projected to top $1 billion this year, but it's still only a small fraction of the tobacco market.
