Indiana attorney general says attempts to regulate e-cigs don't go far enough

“It ended up being before every meal, after every meal, before class, after class,” Nass said. “I just felt gross. I don’t really know why I keep doing it, it’s so bad.”

So last week, he quit cold turkey. But then again, he’s quit before.

“I felt like if I was ready to quit, I’d quit on my own. But a couple of times I said I would quit, I would sneak it in, so I didn’t think I was ready,” Nass said. “I told myself I would never buy another pack again.”

Instead, Nass spent a little more than $40 on an electronic cigarette and nicotine-laced e-liquid, or “juice.”

“I figured it would be cheaper than to keep buying cigarettes, and healthier for me,” Nass said. “I know it’s better than cigarettes. So if I’m trying to quit, at least it’s something better.”

But the use of e-cigarettes is not a Food and Drug Administration-approved method to quit smoking. The FDA currently has no authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution or marketing of electronic cigarettes as it does with cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.