MADISON, Wis. -- As Wisconsin residents settle into the week-old reality of a new statewide smoking ban, some smokers are thinking again about quitting while others are just looking for a new place or way to continue the habit.

To that end, many smokers determined to continue smoking are turning to technology. Namely, some are gravitating toward a cigarette that touts it has no tobacco, no tar and no harmful effects. While these claims are being made by its manufacturers, some disagree.

With all the looks of lighting up, this new "cigarette" has one big distinction than others. Namely, that it isn't a cigarette. This look-alike is actually an electronic cigarette, or "e-cig," for short. The smoke the cigarette produces isn't smoke, but vapor from liquid nicotine being atomized into the air, officials said.

Steve Olsen's company Pure Vapor sells these e-cigs.

"It looks, feels, tastes just like a normal cigarette would," said Olsen said. "We actually get people who assume we're smoking in the mall."

He said they're still legal inside Wisconsin businesses because under the new state smoking ban, something has to be burnable product and has to contain tobacco in order to be prohibited.

However, some doctors caution people from rushing in to "light up."

"When people are inhaling on this little machine, and they think they're dosing themselves with nicotine, they could be dosing themselves with a lot of products that are carcinogenic," said Dr. Michael Miller of Meriter Hospital.

Miller is an addiction treatment specialist and he specifically points to diethylene glycol, a chemical in e-cigs that, while used in other products, is a known carcinogen and is untested and unproven as safe to smoke.

"The electronic cigarette really doesn't have proven safety at this point," Miller said.

Olsen said he encourages customers to do their own research. He said that some have used the device to stop smoking.

The American Medical Association and the Food and Drug Administration said that there's a better path to stop smoking.

"Really, it's a whole different ballgame, and I think people should be wary of these products," Miller said.

Miller suggests using the nicotine patch, gum, or inhaler if smokers are looking to quit. All are FDA approved and independently tested and reviewed.

Olsen said that though his product allows a smoker to select the amount of nicotine dosage -- all the way down to zero, just like other popular cessation methods. He said that this is why some claim they've had success in quitting.