Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) which 10 years ago were in their infancy and now seem to ubiquitous with an estimated 2 million users in the UK alone. Whether you see them as potentially as tools to oppress smokers seems to have passed as e-cigs seem to be the new smoking evil. Basically world and national governments want to denormalise and restrict e-cigs as tobacco smokers are.
The European Union (EU) wanted to have them classified as medicines but MEPs voted against but did vote to restrict the nicotine content to 20mg/ml which would probably make them useless for heavy smokers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Federal Drug Administration want to classify them as tobacco and apply the same restrictions on advertising, to be highly taxed and indoor restrictions. It seems that even the sight of an e-cig “renormalising” smoking is giving them, pun intended, the vapers.
Big Pharma’s fingerprints are probably all over this. The biggest critics include Professor of Engineering Stanton Glantz, John Banzhaf of Action on Smoking and Health America and Tobacco Free Kids all of whom are in receipt of Big Pharma funding.
It is my belief that any e-cig users sniffy towards tobacco smokers will be keeping their council and can see that they are being treated as just as appalling as smokers. Certainly that is the impression I get talking to industry representatives.
In the meantime I hope you enjoy my article in Breitbart I did recently and also on the 25th April I was on BBC Radio Ulster discussing e-cigs with Andy Dougal Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke, which Tony has been kind to record.