I was recently in Miami for Art Basel and although it was a luxurious experience filled with artist discovery, staple artists, high-end street fashion and loads of dancing, the one thing I didn’t like was the amount of people who smoked there.

Granted Art Basel receives thousands of visitors every year and the smokers could have been tourists — I hated it. I particularly hated it when I had to pay $50 for a rooftop pool party just to find half the party smoking when I got up there. Needless to say, I was happy to return to New York for this reason. And even more shocked to hear the recent news.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (for the first time ever, mind you) e-cigarettes can now legally be sold in the United States. Is there a catch? Slightly, as right now it’s just one company: R.J Reynolds Vapor Company, and specifically their, Vuse Solo that is legally allowed to sell at all markets, in tobacco flavor only. (Apparently their other flavored pods were rejected due to potential addiction and negative ingredients.)

To give you some background, at any given time, the Food and Drug Administration is testing upwards of millions of products — with vaping and e-cig products high on their list. Currently, they have gotten through 98% of their applications for smoking and out of all the products they reviewed, the Vuse Solo was the only one that survived their strict regulations. The Food and Drug Administration stated that the tobacco-flavored products can benefit adult smokers who switch over from real cigarettes.

The FDA looked at and conducted countless surveys showing the younger generation (GenZ and Millennials) who use e-cigarettes and vapes prefer candy, fruity, or minty flavors instead of the tobacco flavors that are addicting. With that being said, the FDA will continue to closely monitor teen and young adult use to make sure it does not market any campaigns that would cause over-exposure.

With all the health conditions to your heart, lungs and arteries that cigarettes, e-cigs included, can do — how do you feel about the decision? Are you for it or against it? I think regardless of where you stand, at least you can rest easy knowing that the FDA went through a rigorous process to determine it’s approval. Which let’s be real, has to count for something.

In related news, New York finally legalized recreational marijuana use earlier this year and Oregon recently legalized magic mushrooms.

Photo via Mauro Grigollo/iStock