[email protected]
Postman
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2012
- Messages
- 50
[4.6] If these are so good, why aren't governments and anti-smoking groups supporting them?
We do not know for sure. There does not seem to be a concerted effort to block these products in most countries, though that remains a possibility. Regulatory agencies have a legitimate responsibility to help make sure the products are pure and contain what they say. This creates a challenge in the current environment. Groups that are truly anti-smoking should embrace any alternative, but those that are more interested in making life difficult for smokers or nicotine users do not like these products because they could make nicotine users more comfortable.
Whenever government regulatory agencies are confronted with a new product, they need to find the proper category to put it into, and then make sure it complies with the standards associated with that category. In this case, even though nicotine is widely available in many forms, it is still important to make sure the products do not contain any hidden toxins, that they function properly (e.g., cannot accidentally deliver an overdose), and so forth. In this case, the waters have been muddied by the claims that it helps people quit smoking. Whether or not it does is not the concern of the agency, but when such a claim is made, the claim needs to be proven (and that means more than anecdotes).
In some sense, the situation is absurd because someone could much more easily introduce another harmful product that was part of an already established category than introduce a new and obviously safer alternative. Governments typically worry more about hypothetical new risks than clear old risks.
Some commentators have suggested that governments are so used to tax revenues that if electronic cigarettes became more popular they could threaten this income. This is not an absurd concern, given the current economic conditions and given that governments have been raising tobacco taxes to make up shortfalls in other areas. We can only hope that if that is the plan, that they keep the taxes lower than on tobacco products because the last thing you want to do is make people choose traditional cigarettes because they are cheaper.
However you do hear official spokespersons from both government, NGOs and anti-tobacco agencies making statements that either betray ignorance of where the harm in smoking comes from, or statements that are ideological rather than concerned with health.
You might hear that e-cigarettes are dangerous because they deliver nicotine which they say is a poison. See our nicotine FAQ for why this has little basis. You also hear people say that these just keep people smoking. That may sound like a health statement but it is simply expressing an opinion that no one should smoke, not even if it is entirely safe. This statement ignores the public health harm reduction principle that we should do all we can to protect the health of those who choose to smoke, and part of that protection involves educating people about the comparative risks of these products and in promoting the safer options. Or you might hear that this will lead people to smoking. This makes little sense since it is much easier to obtain traditional cigarettes, and what you hear most from people who enjoy these, is that apart from being able to smoke inside again, they feel they are making a healthier choice.
We like to think that those against will realize that e-cigarettes (and smokeless tobacco) remove all that second hand smoke they are so worried about, and also remove the health risks associated with nicotine use. How can you argue with that?
At the very least, we hope that anyone who has doubts about these products will realize that the elimination of second hand smoke and a likely reduction in health risk will mean that governments will eventually come to approve them. Anti-nicotine extremists, on the other hand, might stay with their goal of trying to punish smokers rather than offer them good alternatives.
[4.7] Can I use these in nonsmoking areas?
Technically you should be able to use these anywhere. No smoking sections refer to the smoking of tobacco so legally there is no prohibition against these. However, you might have to let people know that you are not smoking tobacco. Even though you are not generating anything remotely like second hand smoke, some might prohibit your e-smoking simply because they disapprove of even the appearance of smoking. Over time, this should become less necessary to explain to people.
Some of these products come with information cards to give to people who might think you are doing something illegal.
[4.8] Could these help me quit all nicotine use? -Maybe.
They might. Switching away from smoking is the most important thing to do so even if you end up not quitting. At least it won't harm you the way smoking will. Some people have found that electronic cigarettes reduce their need to smoke somewhat. E-cigarette Direct has posted a collection of e-cig user commentsabout their experiences with many reporting that they have reduced or quit traditional smoking. The products are available with varying levels of nicotine, from a lot to none, so they can be used as a weaning product.
It does not strictly qualify as scientific evidence but indications are that e-cigarettes are being used successfully by many to quit smoking, with many of the quitters having a history of trying other methods and failing. And though anti-tobacco activists see them as an attraction for adolescents and those who never would have smoked, we have seen no reports of previously never smokers starting up with this product. Every anecdote so far appears to tell the same story; a cigarette smoker is switching over, sometimes just part time but more often full time, to this safer alternative.
Other quit smoking methods have little success with many smokers, so it is not surprizing that people who are trying to quit will try this too. And given the reports, it seems to be working for many. In time we should see some formal studies but in the meanwhile, on a person to person basis, some smokers are rapidly reducing their health risks.
[4.9] Other unanswered questions or concerns?
See our Reading List, our Interviews with the Experts page, or this FAQ over at electroniccigarettereview.com for more information.
Source
http://www.tobaccoharmreduction.org/faq/ecigs.htm
We do not know for sure. There does not seem to be a concerted effort to block these products in most countries, though that remains a possibility. Regulatory agencies have a legitimate responsibility to help make sure the products are pure and contain what they say. This creates a challenge in the current environment. Groups that are truly anti-smoking should embrace any alternative, but those that are more interested in making life difficult for smokers or nicotine users do not like these products because they could make nicotine users more comfortable.
Whenever government regulatory agencies are confronted with a new product, they need to find the proper category to put it into, and then make sure it complies with the standards associated with that category. In this case, even though nicotine is widely available in many forms, it is still important to make sure the products do not contain any hidden toxins, that they function properly (e.g., cannot accidentally deliver an overdose), and so forth. In this case, the waters have been muddied by the claims that it helps people quit smoking. Whether or not it does is not the concern of the agency, but when such a claim is made, the claim needs to be proven (and that means more than anecdotes).
In some sense, the situation is absurd because someone could much more easily introduce another harmful product that was part of an already established category than introduce a new and obviously safer alternative. Governments typically worry more about hypothetical new risks than clear old risks.
Some commentators have suggested that governments are so used to tax revenues that if electronic cigarettes became more popular they could threaten this income. This is not an absurd concern, given the current economic conditions and given that governments have been raising tobacco taxes to make up shortfalls in other areas. We can only hope that if that is the plan, that they keep the taxes lower than on tobacco products because the last thing you want to do is make people choose traditional cigarettes because they are cheaper.
However you do hear official spokespersons from both government, NGOs and anti-tobacco agencies making statements that either betray ignorance of where the harm in smoking comes from, or statements that are ideological rather than concerned with health.
You might hear that e-cigarettes are dangerous because they deliver nicotine which they say is a poison. See our nicotine FAQ for why this has little basis. You also hear people say that these just keep people smoking. That may sound like a health statement but it is simply expressing an opinion that no one should smoke, not even if it is entirely safe. This statement ignores the public health harm reduction principle that we should do all we can to protect the health of those who choose to smoke, and part of that protection involves educating people about the comparative risks of these products and in promoting the safer options. Or you might hear that this will lead people to smoking. This makes little sense since it is much easier to obtain traditional cigarettes, and what you hear most from people who enjoy these, is that apart from being able to smoke inside again, they feel they are making a healthier choice.
We like to think that those against will realize that e-cigarettes (and smokeless tobacco) remove all that second hand smoke they are so worried about, and also remove the health risks associated with nicotine use. How can you argue with that?
At the very least, we hope that anyone who has doubts about these products will realize that the elimination of second hand smoke and a likely reduction in health risk will mean that governments will eventually come to approve them. Anti-nicotine extremists, on the other hand, might stay with their goal of trying to punish smokers rather than offer them good alternatives.
[4.7] Can I use these in nonsmoking areas?
Technically you should be able to use these anywhere. No smoking sections refer to the smoking of tobacco so legally there is no prohibition against these. However, you might have to let people know that you are not smoking tobacco. Even though you are not generating anything remotely like second hand smoke, some might prohibit your e-smoking simply because they disapprove of even the appearance of smoking. Over time, this should become less necessary to explain to people.
Some of these products come with information cards to give to people who might think you are doing something illegal.
[4.8] Could these help me quit all nicotine use? -Maybe.
They might. Switching away from smoking is the most important thing to do so even if you end up not quitting. At least it won't harm you the way smoking will. Some people have found that electronic cigarettes reduce their need to smoke somewhat. E-cigarette Direct has posted a collection of e-cig user commentsabout their experiences with many reporting that they have reduced or quit traditional smoking. The products are available with varying levels of nicotine, from a lot to none, so they can be used as a weaning product.
It does not strictly qualify as scientific evidence but indications are that e-cigarettes are being used successfully by many to quit smoking, with many of the quitters having a history of trying other methods and failing. And though anti-tobacco activists see them as an attraction for adolescents and those who never would have smoked, we have seen no reports of previously never smokers starting up with this product. Every anecdote so far appears to tell the same story; a cigarette smoker is switching over, sometimes just part time but more often full time, to this safer alternative.
Other quit smoking methods have little success with many smokers, so it is not surprizing that people who are trying to quit will try this too. And given the reports, it seems to be working for many. In time we should see some formal studies but in the meanwhile, on a person to person basis, some smokers are rapidly reducing their health risks.
[4.9] Other unanswered questions or concerns?
See our Reading List, our Interviews with the Experts page, or this FAQ over at electroniccigarettereview.com for more information.
Source
http://www.tobaccoharmreduction.org/faq/ecigs.htm
