Cigarette you can 'smoke' anywhere
By Michael Knapp HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR
IT looks like a real cigarette and tastes a bit like one too but, with not a single attendant whiff of smoke, that's pretty much where the similarity ends.
This is the world's first smokeless smoke and could provide relief for every addict suffering in a world of bans.
With the brand-named Rauchless, a rough translation of the German word for smokeless, this faux fag could be launched in Britain by the end of next year.
It is so harmless that manufacturers think it will even be acceptable in the office and on public transport.
The proof came when its principle backer, Dutch entrepreneur Evert Wilbank, put one in his mouth on a recent flight from Florida to Tennessee.
A horrified flight attendant demanded that he get rid of it but was told she was powerless to intervene as it did not produce any smoke. By the
end of the flight she requested a supply of her own. The Rauchless contains only nicotine, no tar, arsenic, cadmium or formaldehyde, all found in cigarettes.
The authentic looking cigarette comprises two units which clip together. The base filter contains a nicotine trace, which is heated and vapourised by a tiny heater contained in the stem and driven by a rechargeable battery.
To enjoy the taste, the smoker will still have to inhale. And as well as being smoke-free, it is odourless.
Mr Wilbank, 59, who is a non-smoker, said: “Research has shown there are as many as 300 dangerous substances in a cigarette but nicotine isn't one of them. You can't get cancer from it.
“Not many people know it is a chemical found also in tomatoes and peppers. It's only a poison if you put it in your blood.
“When you try this product you get the same warm sensation of a cigarette and around two-thirds of the taste. We're hoping to be able to offer smokers the chance of avoiding standing outside in the cold and rain or fretting on a plane.
“It's our objective to protect the non-smoker from the unpleasant, irritating and noxious effects of smoking, and to enjoy smoking even in places where smoking is banned.”
Simon Clarke, spokesman for the pro-smoking pressure group Forest, said: “We'd be interested in taking a look.”
Mr Wilbank, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee, said his company is seeking USbacking for the £25million start-up costs.
The Rauchless will likely be manufactured in China and could earn its inventors up to £500m a year, according to current market levels.
One setback is the projected cost, likely to be at least £15 for a start-up pack, with refills costing the same as 20 regular cigarettes.
