After taking a long drag on his cigarette, CCE student Robert Pacheco exhales, only this time the cloud is water vapor rather than smoke.

“My roommate was sick of it, so I switched to electronic and stuck with it because my clothes don’t smell; I don’t wake up coughing or with a sore throat,” said Pacheco. “Also, I don’t get hangovers as bad.”

And he is not alone.

Electronic cigarettes have become a growing trend on Guilford College’s campus. More and more long-term smokers are trading in tobacco for nicotine juice, and the reviews are raving.

“I feel 10 times better since I switched,” said Pacheco. “I could go for a run right now.”

“I switched because I’m going abroad and I didn’t want the dependency, but it’s much healthier and I can feel the difference the switch has made for my body,” said junior James Missell.

The health benefits of electronic cigarettes are easy to find.

“The substance that you inhale — e-liquid — typically has four ingredients: propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine and food-grade flavors,” said electronic cigarette blogger Vapegrl  on vapegrl.com. “Cigarette smoke contains substances such as carbon monoxide, tar, arsenic, ammonia, cyanide and acetone, among many others.”

In an online survey conducted by J.F. Etter and C. Bullen, it was reported that “96 percent said that the e-cigarette helped them quit smoking, while 92 percent said that it made them smoke less.”

In addition to that, there is also no unhealthy secondhand smoke created, and they can be used virtually anywhere on campus and off. They are also a much cheaper alternative to regular cigarettes.

“Even if you buy an expensive model, it’s normally the same cost-wise as just two weeks of normal cigarettes,” said Missell.

“I used to smoke a pack a day and that would run me about $100 a week,” agreed Pacheco. “Now I just buy the juice and it’s closer to $8.”

Though, as every product does, electronic cigarettes have a few cons.

They are known to dehydrate their smokers and, according to a study published in CHEST Journal, “Results showed that smoking the device for just five minutes caused an increase in impedance, peripheral airway flow resistance, and oxidative stress in the lungs of healthy smokers, causing some airway flow resistance.”

Both Missell and Pacheco stated that while electronic cigarettes are great, they are different from tobacco and that vaping is a different experience all together.

But what does that mean for Guilford’s campus?

It means a lot fewer cigarette butts and less looming smoke, and on a campus with many smokers, vapers are happily making themselves at home.