One man is on a mission to introduce a brand of cigarettes that he says will please both smokers and non-smokers alike in light of the smoking ban in public buildings that took effect in Illinois on Jan. 1.

Ron MacDonald, a former investment banker, invested over $250,000 in personal savings to launch the Crown 7 cigarette. The battery powered cigarette emits water vapor, not smoke, which he believes avoids the Illinois smoking ban. Launched in August of 2007, his product should generate revenues of $5 million this year. The eight-employee company is looking to by identifying distributors in Illinois.

“My product gives you the nicotine, but what looks like smoke is really water vapor. It is an alternative for bars and restaurants. It’s not meant to be a replacement,” MacDonald said.

The Crown 7 has less nicotine than a traditional cigarette, its most potent version carrying 16 mg of nicotine compared to 22 mg in many traditional cigarettes. The Crown 7 brand can be ingested in three forms: cigarettes, cigars and pipes. 

 The initial purchase of Crown 7 products include an apparatus equipped with batteries and a battery charger. That initial price for cigarettes is $99.99, cigars are $64.95, and a pipe costs $149.95. The replacement cartridges cost $10 for a five-pack, said to be equivalent to two packs of cigarettes.

 Elizabeth Rivera, 31, of Oak Park, has been an avid smoker for 13 years and now uses Crown 7 sometimes. “A lot of my friends don’t smoke and don’t like the smell of smoke…so they are totally cool with it. If I am smoking in a social situation, I tend to use Crown 7s.”

 Christian Williams, a 35-year-old management consultant who recently moved to Chicago, says the Crown 7 not only made life easier when going out, but helped wean him off traditional cigarette smoking.  Williams has been a smoker for 13 years.

“I was originally against the ban, but now myself and my friends use Crown 7s and I don’t go home smelling like a cigarette factory in the morning.”  Williams said. “I started using Crown7s for about six months. It has weaned me off regular cigarettes. I still use the regular cigarettes on occasion though.”

MacDonald admits that some restaurant owners won't allow Crown 7s, simply because they don’t want to be hassled with fines based on the appearance of smoke.

 He combats these challenges by lighting up a Crown 7 in a public place to educate the owners about his product.

 “ I simply explain to them what it is… Everyone personally that I have dealt with says there is no problem [with smoking the Crown 7 indoors].” MacDonald said.

 But Hossein Jamali, owner of Meson Sabika restaurant in Naperville, who had  banned smoking even prior to the ban,  isn't likely to yield. “We are very excited about the law because it is unfair to non-smokers and my staff who have to expose themselves to harmful smoke.” Jamali said. Asked if he would consider allowance of the Crown 7 in his restaurant, he stated, “I don’t think so.”

Regardless of initial reaction to his product, as the number of state and city bans grow across the United States, MacDonald has a growing market of prospective customers.

Dennis, a waiter at Café Clemenza in Schaumburg, says that the ban has negatively affected his social life.  An avid smoker, Dennis believes that the ban affects smokers’ private rights.

 “I don’t go out anymore," he said.  "Part of my going out includes enjoying myself which includes smoking. It’s really bad.  People get sick because they have to go out in the cold to light up.”

 Garnet Dawn Scheuer, president and founder of Illinois Smokers Rights, a non-profit corporation and charitable organization that promotes the rights of smokers, states that the law is vague and lacks real meat in enforcement. Scheuer says that the ban is not specific as to what constitutes smoke and what exactly constitutes a violation. She's unsure abut the Crown 7. “I worry that they won’t take into consideration the fact that this is an electronic cigarette,” Scheuer said.

Mac Donald isn't deterred. “I think it’s the future of smoking. With government clamping down on everything, it is the wave of the future,” he declared..