I'm very glad to see that you've taken a strong position on smoking e-cigarettes in public places. Certainly as a mother, I for one would oppose the renormalization of cigarettes. I think it just leads to needless debates between patrons and businesses as to whether or not that e-cigarette ought to be smoked there. I'd hate for that type of modelling behaviour to be demonstrated to children.
But I do have some sensibility toward those folks who look at this as a possible way of finally kicking their addiction. Certainly I can understand that it might be helpful to maintain the actual habit of holding something up to your mouth, if you are weaning yourself off nicotine. I think that could conceivably be more effective to replace that habit, as opposed to just the patch, which is simply providing the lower and ever-decreasing doses of nicotine. There is something about just the habit of it.
You'll often hear anecdotally that people who are looking to stop smoking pick up increased coffee drinking or something else, just because they want that oral activity. So there is something to commend it.
Can you tell me, though, who might be doing leading research on how this could actually become a cessation tool?