2016
Are e-cigarettes OK because they’re not real tobacco cigarettes?
May 2016


“Are e-cigarettes OK because they’re not real tobacco cigarettes?” New Era, May 2016, 48

Are e-cigarettes OK because they’re not real tobacco cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, deliver nicotine to the body through vapor from electronically heated water rather than through smoke from burning tobacco. So, does that mean they’re OK? No. Not even remotely. The jury’s still out on how safe they actually are, but more important, you want to avoid the appearance of breaking the Word of Wisdom. And most important, the whole purpose of e-cigarettes is to deliver a highly addictive drug into your body, and there’s no good reason to want that.

President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015), President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught that Word of Wisdom principles apply beyond the things specifically prohibited:

“The Word of Wisdom was ‘given for a principle with promise’ (D&C 89:3). … Generally principles are not spelled out in detail. …

“Members write in asking if this thing or that is against the Word of Wisdom. … There are many habit-forming, addictive things that one can drink or chew or inhale or inject which injure both body and spirit which are not mentioned in the revelation. …

“… Promises made in the revelation will be denied to the careless or the reckless.

“Obedience to counsel will keep you on the safe side of life” (“The Word of Wisdom: The Principle and the Promises,” Ensign, May 1996, 17–18).