I really want to cherry pick the relevant and profound bits from my research, but alas I will not, and I urge all readers to use the reference links below to research and discover all points of view.
For now however, this is my view….
Electronic cigarettes, the pro’s and cons and the bits that they don’t want you to know!
If you can’t tell your vaper from your vampire or do not know what an ecig is or how it is made/works then please read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_cigarette
Given all those facts (even though apparently nobody knows) These are my personal views :
YES – More testing and research is most definitely needed, even though all preliminary reports are grossly pro-health compared to smoking.
YES – Advertising such smoking cessation aids should not be allowed for the sake of ‘normalising smoking’ or ‘glamourising’ a new trend regardless of age interpreted market.
YES – PG, propylene glycol and VG, vegetable glycerin (main ingredients to eliquid mixed with flavour and nicotine) are indeed found in everyday foods.
YES – E-liquid solutions in their liquid form are hazardous to humans and animals (only due to the pure nicotine content) Bottles should be clearly labeled with child proof caps and stored appropriately, just like kitchen cleaners or paracetamol or chocolate!
YES – The big tobacco industries are hedging their bets given the numbers of vapers that are converted ex-smokers by becoming the biggest suppliers of the ecig! (Recently there have been a huge amount of big deal proposals from a seemingly, very worried group of big boys within the industry!)
NO – To any mainstream advertising! Any smoker that looks to quit will make the necessary research when they are ready!! If our local GP’s are more informed and on board, people will get advice regardless of inability to access information.
NO – Nicotine is not a harmful drug, although it is highly addictive it is not responsible for the side effects of smoking illnesses, and apart from the addictive-ness can be related to similar drugs like caffeine (even though that is addictive too)
NO – There is NO second hand effects from being within the same contained atmosphere as someone who is vaping! (The sooner people realise this the better!)
NO – Children under 18 should not be allowed to purchase ecigs.
Surely BEFORE jumping on any bandwagon, the government should think about the implications on the national death statistics, let alone the health care regime and budget!? If, for example the government banned or even tried to regulate to extremes the sale or use of ecigs, a recent survey announced by ‘BBC Newsnight‘ stated that many more people would die within the year due to cigarette smoking! Then there is that ugly word….TAX! Tory peer Matt Ridley commented regarding ecigarettes and has tweeted “Taxing shouldn’t be about encouraging or discouraging certain things”
You can bet that if this trend of vaping carries on with the statistical implications that are projected, the government will just have to find a way to cash in on it!
I am saddened to realise that as a 36yr old and after 22 years of constant smoking and then giving up with the use of ecigs, I now find myself in another battle of bureaucracy and red tape. This time, my battle is not with myself or the fact that I am doing harm to me or my children, I was always in the wrong back then. My battle now is the continuous need to inform and educate others without the knowledge of ecigs due to lack of informative facts and research.
I KNOW – Ecigs are much safer for me than smoking a real cigarette!
I KNOW – My children ADMIRE that I have given up smoking!
I KNOW – I feel better physically!
I KNOW – I feel so very much better emotionally!
I have only scraped the surface with all this and I wish I could devote more time to this cause, but after being a Mum, having a job, training for a new qualification, oh…..and giving up smoking because I now use an electronic cigarette…I have fought long and hard to be where I am right now! I do not need uneducated people led by blind politicians to ‘sector’ me once more! I have been there and as an informed adult, I do not require your input further!
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2013/05/30/e-cigarettes-the-unanswered-questions/
http://blog.misticecigs.com/electronic-cigarettes-us-infographic
http://casaa.org/uploads/ECA_The_Facts_About_Electronic_Cigarettes.pdf
( Worth pointing out Page 2 point no 3)