I had been smoking about a pack a day of cigarettes for roughly 30 years at the time I turned 50 and discovered electronic cigarettes and the shopping mall. This was November 2010, and I had never before heard of these devices. It was quite fascinating to see an electronic cigarette in action. The mall sales clerk let me try one and I bought it on the spot. Having just turned 50, quitting was one of those things heavy on my mind. It was now or never. The switch to e-cigarettes involved only a very short learning curve and transition. Within a week I was fully converted, and I have not smoked a tobacco cigarette now in going on 3 years. I plan to gradually reduce my nicotine intake and eventually be completely nicotine free. However, with zero noticeable side-effects from my current nicotine usage, being nicotine-free would be an economic rather than health choice for me. Keep the big tobacco industry out of smoking replacement products. They have a conflict of interest. In my view, electronic cigarettes and the non-tobacco nicotine they deliver are no different from my coffee cup and the caffeine it delivers.