I post it here simply for the purpose of saying: big freaking deal.

RTFA: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/150832/14-tim…

In our exclusive photo Michael Phelps, who won a record EIGHT gold medals for swimming at the Beijing games last summer, draws from a bong.

The glass pipes are generally used to smoke cannabis.

…that said, here’s the “proof”

[UPDATE 2009-02-01]
RTFA: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5…

Olympic great Michael Phelps has acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment” after a photo in a British newspaper showed him smoking marijuana.

In a statement released to The Associated Press, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games conceded the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World.

Phelps said: “I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

This dude currently holds the human record for the most gold medals won in swimming at the Olympic Games. It makes you wonder about the veracity of the anti-marijuana propaganda, that’s for sure.
[/UPDATE]

RTFA: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM…

TSC Group, LLC, offers its NJoy electronic smokeless cigarette to health-conscious smokers who don’t want to quit.

The watch battery-powered cylinder, which looks similar to an ordinary cigarette – including an LED tip that flares as a smoker takes a drag – vaporizes a tiny packet of a nicotine and flavoured water solution, creating a heated mist that is drawn into the lungs.

What the smoker exhales is water vapour without the tar and other carcinogenic particles that come from burning tobacco, according to spokesman Matt Maher.

Last September, the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, said in a written statement that it knew of “no rigorous, peer-reviewed studies” that showed electronic cigarettes are safe or effective as a nicotine replacement therapy.

The NJoy starter kit costs about $80.

This article actually reviews a bunch of interesting new gadgets, but the nicotine vaporizer seems like it has the greatest potential to do good. One of the comments to this article noted that a New Zealand study had indeed found a nicotine vaporizers are a much safer alternative to cigarettes: http://healthnz.co.nz/RuyanCartridgeReport21-Oct-08.pdf