Remember when ice cream trucks sold candy cigarettes? My parents prohibited me from buying these doubtful treats because they did not want me to develop a deadly and dangerous habit. For those people addicted to cigarettes, e-cigarettes provide a valuable quitting tool, but their days may be numbered.

Starting today, Electronic Cigarette Hub is distributing free electronic cigarette starter kits for people trying to quit. This campaign comes on the heels of a World Health Organization summit where public health officials are calling for a ban of this technology.

An electronic cigarette looks like a regular cigarette, but is actually an electrical inhaler that vaporizes a propylene glycol liquid solution into an aerosol mist. While there is no tobacco, the amount of nicotine released is comparable to regular cigarettes.

Apparently, the experience of smoking an electronic cigarette is similar to their tobacco-laden forbears, which is why they are considered by some to be effective cessation aids. A study led by the Boston University School of Public Health reported that these are a promising quitting tool. 31% of participants in a survey reported successfully quitting smoking six months after buying their first e-cigarette. Other traditional products, like patches or gum, come in between 12 to 18%.

However, at the World Health Organization’s Convention on Tobacco Control held in Seoul, South Korea last week, public health officials called for a ban of e-cigarettes. Smoking is a serious public health issue, and electronic cigarette hub is responding with a marketing campaign and e-commerce solution of sorts, taking advantage of the press surrounding the summit to get their product in front of consumers.

I was always more of a Chaco Taco gal anyway.

Read the press release.

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