Special Report: A Safe Cigarette

We all know the health risks of smoking.

Smoker No. 1, smoker
"It's my favorite thing in the world, I’d have to say. That might sound kind of sad, but it really is."

And so many can't seem to put down the pack.

Joe Callahan, smoker
"About a half a pack to a pack depending on the day."

Now a new product says it can give smokers satisfaction without the health risk!

Ron McDonald, Crown 7 Electronic Cigarettes
"It gives you the nicotine fix that you need, you know, where you're in somewhere that you can't smoke."

It's called the "E-Cig", or electronic cigarette. It's maker's say it's safe because there's no tobacco, tar, and what you breath in and blow out is not actually smoke.

It's about the size of a pen, and is made of plastic and metal. It's battery charged and these tiny white cartridges supply enough nicotine for up to two packs of cigarettes.

Jonathan Winickoff, M.D. MDH
"There is no safe cigarette, in fact, there's no safe form of tobacco product. Nicotine is not tobacco, so in that sense, the medication component of this product is a thousand times safer than cigarettes."

And this is not smoke, it's vapor!! That they say is not harmful to the smoker or people around them.

Jonathan Winickoff, M.D. MGH
"There is no second hand smoke, there is no tobacco in this product as far as I know."

7News put the E-Cig to the test. Joe's been smoking for 10 years.

Joe Callahan, smoker
"I do realize it's bad for ya but after so many years being into it you can't just stop."

Erica has been off and on for 11 years.

Erica Cassesso, smoker
"I started socially smoking when I would drink or go out with my friends, and then, you know I became a full-blown smoker again."

And Smoker No. 1 has puffed away for more than a decade.

Smoker No. 1, smoker
"I've tried to quit probably every year that I've been smoking at least once."

Armed with their E-Cig they gave it a try for a week

Joe Callahan, smoker
"You actually inhale something and you get nicotine from it so it’s definitely a big help, I'd say."

Erica Cassesso, smoker
"I found it awkward especially like in public and people are like "what's that?" and I was constantly explaining but you know."

Smoker No. 1, smoker
"It’s a little difficult to inhale; it takes a lot of force, which might be one of the reasons why I didn't take to it as much as I had hoped."

None of our testers say they were able to extinguish their cigarettes completely, but they did say it helped them cut down, substituting the E-Cig for the ones.

Our testers also say liked how they could get a nicotine fix inside public places.

The E-Cig is sold online for about $99. It's up to the user to decide whether or not this E-Cigarette is "A Safe Cigarette?" Dr. Deanna Lites, 7News.

(Copyright (c) 2008 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)