Entrepreneur wants to sell safer smoke

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A Mobile entrepreneur is hoping his "e-cig" shop will help smokers cope with the city's smoking ban, set to take effect in October.

On Oct. 1, a smoking ordinance passed by the Mobile City Council takes affect. The ordinance bans smoking in most businesses and public outdoor areas. Ernest Jackson plans to open a shop which, by selling electronic cigarettes, could allow smokers to continue their nicotine habit while circumventing the ban.

“E-Cigarette is nowhere in the ban, so where you would normally be able to smoke, now, come October 1 you won't be able to,” said Jackson, who plans to call his shop Smoker’s Dream. “You should still be able to use these without a problem.”

Jackson's store opens October 1, the same day the smoking ban takes effect. The electronic cigarettes that will be sold there are inhalers that vaporize a nicotine solution into an aerosol mist.

Authors of a 2010 study by Boston University's School of Public Health said evidence shows the e-Cig's to be safer than tobacco cigarettes and comparable in toxicity to nicotine replacement products.

Jackson touted the benefits for those who don’t smoke as well.

“It's just water vapor, so there's no second-hand smoke,” said Jackson.

The “e-Cig” device originated in China and made its U.S. appearance three years ago. Jackson said the devices are made of nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, distilled water and flavoring.

“I was at my doctor's office and we were actually in the doctor's room and he allowed me to smoke it,” said Michael Williams of Semmes.

Jackson said customers often ask him the same question: “Can it help me quit smoking?”

“No. It is not a cessation item, it is an alternative to cigarettes,” Jackson said.