The War On Electronic Cigarettes Part 2

e cig war part 2

Continued...

When I wrote ‘The War On Electronic Cigarettes’ I didn't plan on writing a part 2 however after the recent article from the BBC titled “electronic cigarettes – miracle or menace?” and the new planned EU Tobacco Directive I felt I had no choice.

Why All The Negative Press Attention?

It seems like the electronic cigarette is the small, skinny guy at school who is constantly getting picked on and getting its lunch money stole from by the bullies, which in this case is the Tobacco industry. The main argument against e cigs is the lack of research that has been undertaken due to the fact they have not been around very long, however this is also true of a lot of household and personal favourite devices in which we own. I am sure most people reading this will all own a microwave and mobile phone, as well as having Wi-Fi installed in their homes. Why is this relevant? Well the same question can also be asked of these, yet I don’t ever recall seeing stories entitled “The Microwave – miracle or menace?” In fact it’s quite the opposite with many seeing the rapid food heater as one of the best inventions of modern times. For anyone interested in reading a study taken out regarding the above you should read this...some findings are actually quite scary.

Sorry for veering a little off topic there, but I thought it was necessary just to illustrate just how pointless this point is when you look at it being the flagship argument that is being used to constantly attack electronic cigarettes. The true fact of the matter is 99% of people who use e cigs will be aware of the lack of research but know they are a healthier alternative to smoking as they don’t contain the countless poisonous and carcious chemicals found in regular cigarettes.

David vs Goliath

The way I see it is the tobacco industry have enjoyed making a ludicrous profit solely at the expense of its customers health for many years and they can start to see this diminishing very quick. Recent reports from a charity named Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggests 700,000 people in the UK were using e-cigarettes last year. The same report goes on to say it predicts that this number will reach a cool million in 2013. The tobacco industry is starting to lose an uphill battle and will use its power to try and squash the competition.

The End Of The Electronic Cigarette?

The most frightening thing here however is that The EU, which let’s be honest have a lot of influence and power, have put forward a new Tobacco Products Directive which would ultimately spell the end of electronic cigarettes for good. This new directive is said to have been designed to promote public health however put simply it will mean many will be condemned to their ongoing addiction to smoking tobacco and as a result will die. Am I the only one seeing the hypocrisy here? This will affect the 500 million residents of the 27 countries currently in the EU and restrictions and regulations within the directive regarding relatively new devices such as electronic cigarettes will ultimately see them banned. When you look at the figures regarding people who still smoke in the EU, which is around 7000,000, this directive is going to condemn a large proportion to their death.

Let’s take Sweden for example. A high percentage of the smoking population turned to a Swedish smokeless tobacco named Snus. Statistics show that only 16% of men smoke with the Swedish male population consuming more nicotine in the form of Snus then from cigarettes. Now let’s see who is sat at the bottom of the table for smoking-related diseases and deaths in Europe...oh wait its Sweden. The new directive will also strengthen the prior ban of Snus forcing many back to tobacco usage once again. Shocking!!!!

New Tobacco Products Directive A Joke

But wait here’s the punch line...although to be honest it’s not very funny, the author of the Tobacco Products Directive (TDP) John Dalli is currently under investigation after an anti fraud inquiry linked him to an attempt to influence tobacco legislation. Yes you did just read that right...the guy who wrote the TPD is under investigation is on claims of soliciting bribes in writing the new directive that if it stands will kill off electronic cigarettes. The TDP directive will have to be renamed to something like Taxes and Death Protocol (Directive) as it seems the only thing that will be accomplished by this is to bring in an increased profit through the sales of tobacco and consequently deaths of millions because of the increased reliance of tobacco.

Please Share/ Like using the buttons to the right to show your support for Electronic Cigarettes and your stance against the proposed Tobacco Products Directive. Electronic cigarettes have saved countless lives in the few years they have been around – let’s make sure we don't take a step backwards!!!