After a work buddy informed me of the existence of a device called an e-cigarette I began looking into the option as I had been a 40 year smoker of over a pack a day at that point. My breathing and endurance had really started deteriorating drastically in recent months and I’d tried quitting numerous times using proven methods, cold turkey, nicorette inhaler and just trying to cut back on my own. All unsuccessful for me. Negative press and warnings from Health Canada and the FDA were deterring me from pulling the trigger and buying an e-cig kit, but I found an on-line forum called ECF with literally thousands of folks that were saying they were using them and NOT smoking and reaping health benefits. In Jan. of 2012 I purchased a kit(a Provari APV) and some e-liquid and once I started using it immediately cut my smoking back to 4 or 5 a day with ease. Within a few months I was easily down to only 3 cigs a day. I went on like this for over a year and can now say I’ve been smoke free for almost 2 months(Quit date was June 4th, 2013.) My breathing and lung capacity is now very noticeably(to me) much better. Just last week I completed a stress echo test with 6 minutes on the treadmill and was able to finish the test without any discomfort other than being a little winded. I’m sure that 2 years ago it would have been a much different outcome. I seriously regret not finding out about e-cigs years before I finally did. You see the doctor diagnosed me with moderate emphysema 2 months ago. If Health Canada had done it’s due diligence on e-cigs when they came out in 2006 or whenever, I may have been smoke-free much sooner. I’m not blaming them for the place (health-wise) that I now find myself in, but putting out warnings and advisories against a product they are totally ignorant of(e-cigs), keeping many smokers away from a viable less harmful alternative to smoking with doing almost no research on there own borders on criminal. What is Health Canada’s reason for being, if not to look out for the health of Canadian citizens? Is it to wait and see what the FDA does? Pretty lame imho. Back seat drivers that are willing to drive off the same cliff the FDA takes them to at the peril of it’s citizens? For shame! For shame!