Nonfiction response on "Smoke Signals"

Response on Nonfiction Article:

“Smoke Signals”, by Alessandra Potenza, New York Times Upfront Magazine

In the past few years, electronic cigarettes have been becoming more and more popular. The article “Smoke Signals” discusses e-cigarettes and what causes and effects they have. Some ways e-cigarettes have become more popular is through advertisement strategies, flavoring, and appeal to young adults.

Many e-cigarettes have spent millions of dollars on advertisement, for example the author reports, “The blue Cigs brand, for example, hired actress Jenny McCarthy among other celebrities and spent $12.4 million on ads for the first quarter of 2013, up 1,150 percent from 2012…” This shows how e-cigarettes have been trying to gain popularity through commercials. This is a very solid way to catch consumers’ attention because thousands of people watch TV and go on the Internet.

E-cigarettes have also been gaining attention through teenagers and young adults. E-cigarettes can be legally sold to minors in multiple states and countries. Many consumers claim that they like to smoke something flavored, and e-cigarettes are using this strategy to acquire minors vote.

E-cigarettes are harmful because most brands contain nicotine and cancer-causing chemicals, they come in flavors, they can be sold to minors, and they can be smoked indoors. Most of these things are prohibited for regular cigarettes, so why should they be allowed for e-cigarettes? E-cigarettes should be treated like regular cigarettes because they do contain nicotine, which is very deadly, especially to underage children. Many people are afraid that e-cigarettes will make all strides towards pushing people away from cigarettes ineffective. For instance, the author interviewed the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, “‘The real threat… is whether, with this marketing, e-cigarette makers will undo 40 years of efforts to de-glamorize smoking.’” This proves how e-cigarettes can make smoking look desirable again, which is exactly the opposite of what should be happening.

The author uses both sides to prove her point. She interviewed with people who were for and against e-cigarettes. For the counterclaim, the author interviewed multiple doctors who are for e-cigarettes. They think that e-cigs can help smokers quit smoking. However, e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is addicting, and is also found in cigarettes, so they are not much better then they may seem. The author wants the reader to recognize that e-cigs can be harmful, yet they are slightly better then regular cigarettes.

This article has changed my thinking. I used to think that e-cigarettes were much better then cigarettes because they don’t contain tobacco. I now understand that they contain a lot of dangerous chemicals, including a chemical found in anti-freeze, which can be just as harmful as a regular cigarette. Also, selling e-cigs to minors is very dangerous and will most likely become a bigger issue. E-cigarettes should be banned, or at least prevented from selling to minors.

Works Cited

Potenza, Alessandra. "Smoke Signals." The New York Times: Upfront n.d.: 1-2. Print.