By Rachel Daley

January 12, 2011

One of the hottest trends in health may be coming to your friendly big box retailer down the street. Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or ‘vapor sticks’ may be heading to Walmart. That’s right…Walmart. But it won’t be in the electronics section.

Electronic cigarettes arrived on the scene in the mid-2000s. It’s tube, shaped like a regular cigarette, features a mini-vaporizer, a rechargeable battery and sensor that can tell when a smoker takes a drag. It is supposed to mimic the taste and feel of a real cigarette.

“I love it,” says 32-year-old Rachel Spreey. A user of vapor sticks. “I was worried about how dumb it looks when I smoke it but so many people have asked me about it and they think it’s pretty cool. I feel better too. It’s nice not to smoke unhealthy tobacco.”

Most e-cigarettes are manufactured in China and imported into the United States. Walmart is the biggest importer of Chinese goods, making the stocking of electronic cigarettes a natural fit.

“Walmart is going to stock the [electronic cigarette] kits behind the counter and will only be sold to adults 18 and over,” says a source within Walmart. “One aisle will have the ability to sell cigarettes and that’s exactly where they will go.”

No word on when Walmart will begin carrying vapor sticks.

From Chicago Independent Press.