Non-Fiction Reading Response

    In "Smoke Signals", by Alessandra Potenza, recently, electronic cigarettes have been the new hype for smokers in the U.S. Especially for the younger crowd, e-cigarettes have been getting increasingly popular. "A recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the share of young people using  e-cigarettes doubled in 2012 from the previous year". ( Potenza 1) According to the author, though this worries health officials, who have been helping people quit smoking for decades, or in preventing them from starting in the first place. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes compared today, compared to the 42% in 1956. Though some doctors believe that e-cigarettes can help smokers quit, health officials are fearing the possibility that e-cigs will create a new wave a nicotine addiction among young people since unlike normal cigarettes, e-cigs are not tightly regulated.

     Based on the article, the author seems to want to address the issue of e-cigarettes, and how it posses to the public. The author seems to want to give both sides of e-cigarettes, showing the threat it shows, and the benefits it can give. Though the author seem biased to the side against e-cigarettes. One example is a quote the author gives in the text. Matthew Meyers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, states "The real threat is whether, with this marketing, e-cigarette makers will undo 40 years of efforts to de-glamorize smoking" (Potenza 2). Also, the author gives the side in support of e-cigs stating that a few studies show that smokers quit slightly more easily than with cessation aids like nicotine patches or gum.

        This article has made me acknowledge that along with a lot of other issues, smoking is a big issue that people are trying to fix. With the new trend of e-cigarettes, people are now debating whether this new brand, while better than tobacco, if its ok for the public.This reminds e of all the grown-ups I know who smoke. I think though, like normal cigarettes, e-cigs should be regulated, and controlled on who gets them, and that its probably not an ok thing for the younger public to have. Though, in terms of getting smokers to quit, I'm more with the idea, because they're smoking something, not completely healthy for them, but better than tobacco.