Can I Buy Electronic Cigarettes in a Smoke Shop?

Electronic cigarettes, or "ecigs," vaporize tar-free nicotine liquids into a mist-like vapor that resembles tobacco smoke. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet regulated these devices, so they are hard to find in traditional smoke shops. They are available, however, at specialty booths in many shopping malls.

Buy Online

• The most efficient way to shop for ecigs is online. Many manufacturers have picked up on the trend, so innumerable brands now exist and they all have websites. Purchasing them is easy, and many companies have "free trial" or "you only pay shipping" deals, so first-time shoppers are likely to get a good deal.

Small Vaporizers

• Ecigs are made up of a lithium battery, a Motorola computer chip, an airflow sensor, an ultrasound vaporizer and a nicotine cartridge, all of which are intricately placed inside a plastic tube resembling a cigarette. An atomizer in the vaporizer portion creates the nicotine vapor by rapidly heating the nicotine solution in the nicotine cartridge.

Unsafe for Consumption

• Although the FDA has yet to officially regulate the manufacture and sale of ecigs, it has analyzed samples of ecigs and found that they contain toxic substances like diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze and carcinogens. As of September 2010, the FDA has taken enforcement action against five ecig companies for violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDAC) through poor manufacturing processes and unsubstantiated claims.