Katherine Heigl Smoke Sticks: Are They Bad For You?

Katherine Heigl (Late Show With David Letterman)

(CBS) Actress Katherine Heigl, 31, best known for her role on "Grey's Anatomy," broke out her electric "smoke stick" Monday night while appearing the "Late Show."

She told David Letterman she's tried everything to quit smoking, and this is her latest effort.

A smoke stick is a cigarette substitute that heats the liquid nicotine inside with a small battery-powered atomizer.

Are smoke sticks, a.k.a. electronic cigarettes, as bad for you as cigarettes?

The jury is out.

Dr. Alan Blum, who directs the University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, tells CBS News there is a lot to debate.

In principal, says Blum, smoke sticks are less harmful, because they deliver "just a little bit" of vaporized nicotine without the harmful combustion by-products one gets from a real cigarette.

In addition, there is little second hand smoke to worry about.

But smoke sticks are poorly regulated, and the FDA is working to reign them in. Recently, the agency sent warning letters to five electronic cigarette distributors for making unsubstantiated claims and for having poor manufacturing practices.

Heigl, who started smoking in her early 20's, is trying to be as healthy as possible now that she is a mom (she adopted a girl from South Korea last year). She's tried nicotine gum and patches  and the prescription medication Chantix, according to the New York Daily News.

Smoke sticks seem to be the only thing that works for her. 

Forty-six million Americans smoke, and smoking-related illnesses kill 1,000 of us each day.

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[hardytom2013]

Thank you for the article! Unfortunately I missed the show, but where can I buy electronic cigarettes? I mean good quality ones, not ones that I can buy at a gas station or something. I have heard http://www.theeciggy.com is a good start but I'm still open to suggestions.

[donjev]

This make me sick. One of many examples where the FDA need to be 'reigned in' for their disgusting over-regulation of products that help many and (maybe?) harm very few - usually because they do not follow the usage guidelines!!

I believe these products have been banned in Australia also (where I live) because of their 'simlilarity to cigarettes'?

My Aunt died yesterday from lung cancer. How could ecigarettes be less harmful to her than smoking? I will write to the FDA, and in Australia, and hope they listen to reason, but despair that they arrogantly, falsely believe that 'they know best'. I encourage everyone to do the same. Maybe the 'court of public opinion' will have some effect on these guys. One wonders if the FDA administration is represented by 'Big Pharmaceuticals' because they will surely jump on this and make huge profits with very little research on this product.

[snooksiella89]

Katherine Heigl-puffing away! The last time I saw her she was a doctor...right? Perhaps some challenging mental/physical activities would be a nice distraction...she should be on MINUTE TO WIN IT or something, haha (which, by the way, airs on NBC Tuesday, Dec 7th at 8/7c...sooo excited). It would be great if they did a celebrity edition. I hear they're doing Christmas specials and stuff, too. Can't wait!

[jamielundy]

I wrote about this on my blog at http://www.thebestelectriccigarettes.com

I think this is great that cigs are in the media, you just need to know which ones to buy! Check my blog for reviews of good ones :)

[rwoodin]

As far as I know they are not bad. I have used ecigarettes exclusively for 1 year now. I smoked tobacco cigarettes for 37 years before that and I know for a fact they are bad for anyone. I have obtained most of the benefits of quitting cigarettes entirely - by using eciagerettes. My breathing is better than it was for the last 20 years. I can smell. My gums are now red - not grey. In general I just feel much better, healthier than when I smoked. As far as the FDA being 'helpful' however, they are not in any way helpful and they are not 'reigning in' ecigarette companies. The FDA is very busy these days trying to systematically eliminate ecigarettes in the USA by any and every means possible. They already have a verifiable history of detaining and refusing entry for large shipments of ecigarettes. The FDA recently sent out letters to 5 small AMERICAN ecigarette companies stating that they (the FDA) are going to regulate ecigarettes and that these compainies are not in compliance with FDA guidelines and that unless the 'infractions' sited by the FDA are corrected, then those small independent, companies will be subject to invasion, search and seizure by the FDA at those companies manufacturing facilities with no prior notice. Its all posted on the FDA website here - http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm172906.htm
Basically, the FDA believes it has a mandate to regulate ecigarettes. They could do that by regulating them as tobacco products - which they are because they conatin nicotine derived from tobacco. That would allow the FDA to oversee safety aspects of ecigarettes while still allowing the product to be manufactured,sold and purchased. Instead they are in court trying to win a case
(against NJOY an ecigarette company - link to transcript - http://www.midwestvapersgroup.org/uploads/4/0/9/0/4090643/njoy_oral_argument_appeal_transcript.pdf)
that will set the precedent to allow the FDA to regulate ecigarettes as combination drug-delivery devices. his will effectively pave the way for the FDA to ban ecigarettes due to lack of clinical safety studies. These types of studies take many millions of dollars and 5 to 10 years to complete. None of the ecigarette companies in business today have any where near the resources to accomplish those studies and the FDA knows that full well. So, ecigarettes will then be fast tracked to the pharmacuetical companies for development and in 5 to 10 years the product will be back on the market as a smoking cessation/maintanence aid costing 10 times what it does now and heavily taxed. That way, the government will protect the status quo in one fell swoop. Status quo being the heavily taxed US tobacco industry, the governmemt revenue from that industry and pharmacuetical industry profits from smoking cessation aides - like the patch and gum that dont work and the pills that make people 'go bananas' as Ms. Heigl put it so well. I'm glad she came out on Daves show and advocated the ecigarettes effectiveness. The ecigarette industry needs all the help it can get - in order to survive as a viable alternative to tobacco.

Thanks,

Ralph Woodin

[nickandgentry]

i am from australia and we are very interested in the Smoke stick,,,do you have a distributer here?.....

[ecigmaniac]

Here's a company with Free Worldwide Shipping and it's an awesome e-cig with high smoke (vapor) volume: http://reflectelectriccigarette.com

[rf35]

Sounds to me like the FDA is afraid their tobacco cash cow may be in danger. These things are 1000 times safer than real cigarettes and they produce NO second-hand smoke. Aina Hunter obviously did little, if any, research on this. I'll also point out that I have never heard of anyone refer to an e-cigarette as a "smoke stick" before now. It's a totally inaccurate term anyway...there is no smoke involved in the use of an e-cigarette.

[smokezap]

No they are not bad for you.
Here is info on her egig http://smokezap.weebly.com/