When you can’t light up a cigarette on an airplane or at work or you don’t want to smoke around the grandchildren, you soon may be able to reach for a bottle of nicotine-laced water instead.

A California company hopes to launch its Nico Water nationally late this month or in early July. Each bottle of odorless and flavorless water will sell for $1.99 and contain either 2 milligrams or 4 milligrams of nicotine, about what’s in a stick of nicotine gum or a couple of cigarettes.

The product has been criticized by several groups, including the American Cancer Society, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and National Education Assn., which last December filed a petition asking the federal Food and Drug Administration to ban the sale of the water until its safety could be assessed through independent testing. These groups contend that youngsters might seek out nicotine-spiked water and become addicted to nicotine.