I had been a 2 pack a day smoker for over 37 years. As a result of putting all of the many chemicals found in cigarettes into my lungs for so long, I now have COPD. I have had to use a nebulizer and 2 different types of inhalers for the past few years, and even with the breathing issues I was still unable to quit cigarettes. I tried unsuccessfully many times with the same result, I was still smoking. In April 2012 I had to visit the ER, because I was sure I was having a heart attack. Thankfully I wasnƒ??t, it was yet another problem with my breathing. The Doctors told me I had to quit smoking. I started doing research and found Electronic Cigarettes and bought a kit right away. It is 9 months later and I am happy to say I am smoke free. I not only am smoke free, but I have improved my breathing issues immensely. I do not need to use my breathing medicines on a regular basis, and with time I am sure I may not need them at all. I recently went to my Doctor for a routine check up and She was very happy and impressed with my improvement and gave me her blessing on continued use of the e-cigs. If electronic cigarettes are banned I am sure that more and more people will continue to smoke, or go back to smoking, which personally I believe would be a travesty. Personally I do not use a cigarette look alike, but rather something that is quite larger and better suited for me. I use my ecig while I am out and about hoping to encourage more smokers to give up their smoking habit and switch to a much safer alternative not only for themselves, but also the people around them. Electronic cigarettes do not emit smoke that lingers and clings to your clothing and to those around you, instead it produces a water vapor that evaporates quite quickly and does not have the foul smell of cigarettes. In the 9 months that I have been vaping out in public, I have not had one person complain about the odor or vapor associated with an electronic cigarette.