On a recent sunny day in downtown Athens, people lined the streets. Out of the crowds of people, clouds of smoke-like fog rose into the air. But it wasn’t coming from cigarettes, and it smelled like… fruit.

The trend of “vaping” started as an alternative to smoking. By puffing on mechanisms filled with combinations of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine concentration and flavoring, users take advantage of what is supposedly a healthier alternative to cigarettes. (Recent studies have cast doubt on this claim, linking vaping to various health risks.)

Herbert A. Gilbert, the inventor of the smokeless, non-tobacco cigarette, is considered the father of the vaporizer (vape for short). His patented designs were for a mechanism with a flavor cartridge at one end and a controlled heating unit within the product—all the basics of a modern-day vape.

In 2003, a medical researcher from China named Hon Lik released a new version of a smokeless cigarette. His design, released to the public in 2006, included a battery, a plastic cartridge filled with nicotine solution and propylene glycol and an atomizer. This electronic cigarette is the design used for popular brands such as blu eCigs and Vuse, and are called “cig-a-likes” for their close physical resemblance to a cigarette.

As vaping’s popularity increased in the mid-2000s, people began “modding” their vapes, creating different variations and physical structures based on the characteristics they wanted most. DIY vape culture gained momentum through the internet. Purchasing parts for custom-made vapes became easier, and the demand for better vapes and different juices kept growing.

Currently, there are three variations: the vape, the e-hookah and the electronic cigarette. The only difference between a vape and an e-hookah is the presence of nicotine. While vapes use juices with nicotine concentrations ranging between zero–12 milligrams per milliliter, e-hookahs use juice that contains no nicotine, just vegetable glycerin and flavoring.

Because vapes allow for different ranges of nicotine concentrations, they help habitual smokers lessen their addiction or kick the habit entirely. Garrett Macfalda, a 28-year-old Athens line cook, started smoking at age 17 and used vaping as a means to quit smoking. “For most of my life, I've been a pack-a-day smoker,” says Macfalda. “The biggest benefit for me is that it's a nicotine delivery system that isn't killing me. I've had less than 10 cigarettes this year since I took vaping back up.”

The maximum concentration of nicotine provided in vape juice is 12 milligrams per milliliter, which is equivalent to one cigarette. However, many smokers turned vapers drop their consumption down to around three milligrams per milliliter, where they hover or stop their nicotine intake completely. According to Andrew Dingman, the manager at Vape Dynamiks, the best way to quit smoking is to change your taste palate.

“People pick a fruity flavor or something that tastes nothing like a cigarette, and they get set on that, because even though it doesn’t taste like a cigarette, it’s a whole new thing altogether. It satiates their fixation,” says Dingman. “People that get tobacco-like flavors end up just going back to their cigarettes, because they’re trying to emulate a cigarette, but it’s just not that good at it.”

E-cigarettes are commonly characterized by the disposable pen shape, and are available at gas stations. Unlike the vape, an e-cig is designed for limited-time use and does not provide user control over flavor and other settings. “I went through three of those things at $60 each, and every two weeks the batteries would just die,” says Dingman. “I looked into it, and all the big name e-cigs you can buy at gas stations are all made by cigarette companies. Electronic cigarettes are designed by cigarette companies specifically to fail.”

Although the claim seems far-fetched, in April 2012 the blu eCigs company was purchased by the Lorillard Tobacco Company, which sold blu in 2015 to Imperial Brands PLC, the world’s fourth-largest international cigarette company. “Cigarette companies have controlled tobacco taxation and trade for over 100 years, and the only reason that something like [vapes] didn’t happen before was because any time [a vape supplier] popped up, they were snuffed out,” says Dingman.

The rivalry between tobacco and vape companies is coming to a head. Over the past couple of years, states and counties have passed legislation banning the use of vapes and other mechanisms, calling their presence a nuisance and comparing their use to that of a cigarette.

“Vape legislation is currently centered around treating it like a traditional cigarette or tobacco product, which is an immense mistake. Vaping is allowing so many people to quit smoking that legislating it into the ground is going to literally kill people,” says Macfalda.

Unfriendly legislation isn’t the only issue facing vaporizers. The growing percentage of “hobbyists,” or people who vape for the fun of it, cast a shadow on the practice. Many hobbyists mod their vapes to produce the most fog, often doing “vape tricks” with the clouds. Trent Johnson, a student at the University of Georgia, does not vape and says the hobbyists give vaping a negative stigma.

“Vaping as an alternative to smoking is something I think I can get behind, but the people who vape for fun just blow my mind,” said Johnson. “I think there's a sense of empowerment they get when they release a huge vape cloud indoors. It's synonymous with guys who drive big trucks or wear cut-off shirts to show off their biceps. I'm just not impressed.”

With vape technology constantly evolving, these cigarette alternatives are becoming a popular choice amongst habitual smokers. However, with great smoke comes great responsibility. According to Dingman, vaping includes a code of responsibility. The bottom line is respect. “Inside of a restaurant, don’t be a jerk about it. Don’t vape in Walmart. The etiquette is always to ask someone who works there first if they’re OK with vaping.”

*Photo courtesy of www.vaping360.com