In San Marcos, at least seven shops that sell electronic cigarettes and nicotine juice have opened in the past year.

The devices provide users with nicotine in the form of a mist, which proponents claim lacks tar, chemicals and other harmful elements. Electronic-cigarette users can choose the strength of the nicotine that is loaded into their device.

This year, 443,000 people will die as a result of tobacco use, according to a report from the American Cancer Society. That is more deaths than those that are caused by alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide and illegal drugs combined, according to the same report.

Those statistics, along with claims of health and lifestyle benefits, have helped the electronic cigarette industry grow from a $300 million industry in 2012 to a $1.8 billion industry in 2013, according to a recent report from Bonnie Herzog, Wells Fargo Securities tobacco analyst.

In 2012, Lisa Ray decided to buy an electronic cigarette for her husband, Paul, who had recently resumed smoking. Paul tried the device and liked it so well that the couple decided to open their own store, Vape Shop, in San Marcos in March.

"He tried it, and I just thought, 'Wow, wouldn't it be kind of fun. San Marcos doesn't have [an e-cigarette store]. It would be great to help people find an alternative to smoking,'" Ray said.

Health claims

Ray and other proponents of the devices argue that vaporizers provide a healthier alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes, a practice that has been linked to cardiovascular and respiratory disease, among other ailments. Ray said people who switch from paper to electronic cigarettes typically save money, regain their sense of taste and no longer smell like smoke.

Ray Santarelli and Sharon Teal opened Ahh Vapors in San Marcos on June 1. Santarelli said a basic vape kit, which includes the e-cigarette, enough nicotine juice to last two months, a charger and case, costs about $50, but a carton-per-week smoker can spend $400 per month on traditional cigarettes.

"Your initial investment is somewhat costly, but when you figure most [cigarette smokers] smoke a pack and a half a day, it adds up really quick," Santarelli said.

Claims about the device's health benefits have not persuaded Dr. Philip Huang, medical director and health authority for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department. In an address to San Marcos City Council on Sept. 17, Huang said a few studies have shown the vapors contain cancer-causing elements.

"There's so much that's unknown about what's in those vapors. It's not just water vapor. When you're in the shower and there's steam, that's not how vapor acts," Huang said.

Possible regulation

Agreeing with Huang's concerns, City Council members included e-cigarettes in a citywide public indoor smoking ban that takes effect June 1.

In September, 40 attorneys general from throughout the nation signed a letter requesting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulate e-cigarettes like traditional tobacco products.

Huang said there should be more transparency in exactly what ingredients are being used to create the nicotine juice.

"There's a lot of things in them that we don't know about," Huang said. "There's hundreds of companies, and there's very little quality control, and when they start making new flavors, you don't know at all what's in that product."

Ray said she agrees with Huang's assessment.

"There are some problems in the e-cig industry," she said. "We have no choice but to be regulated."