Some people say that the electronic
cigarette is exactly what they needed to quit the bad habit of smoking, while
others say that it is only a method to cheat smoking a little, before coming
back to the classic cigarette. Doctors say that it is only an extreme method to
quit, if everything else fails.
Legal matters and the culture of the e-cigarette
In Great Britain, the tendency of “healthy
smoking” is pronounced today, as there are 1.3 million British people using it.
This transformed UK in the second country in the world in terms of e-cigarette
smokers. 100 000 people die every year because of smoking here, so there is no
wonder that people are currently looking for some alternatives.
This efficiency is questioned by the MHRA (the regulatory authority in UK on
health matters), which wants to introduce some laws to put the electronic
cigarettes in the category of medicines, so it will be the subject of the same
regulations as pills. This way, pharmacies could prescribe those just as they
do in the case of nicotine gums. Sure, efficiency seems to be the most
important argument of MHRA in its rush for regulating the treatment against
traditional smoking.
Even so, the e cigstarter kit is now the base of sub-cultures. Under the name of “vapers”,
this culture reunites the lovers of e-cigars and cigarettes. Their main
characteristic is “tuning” the cylinder where the flavored vapors are inhaled.
It is possible to design an e-cigarette in so many ways, and there are even
stores that offer tuning services for the e-cigarette.
France is the country with the biggest
problems in terms of pregnant women smoking, and more than 500 000 people use
the e-cigarette every day. Even if it has a huge success amongst users, the
Health Minister announced that he would forbid using those in public for people
aged fewer than 18.
The biggest fear of French authorities is
connected with the possibility of a market for electronic drugs to be created.
Some e-cigarette vendors offer cannabis flavors for their cigarettes, which
might be misleading for children. Those can consider it as an invitation to buy
drugs. In USA, the states of Washington and Colorado legalized marijuana
completely, while in other states, it is only legal for medical matters.
Anyway, the “e-joint” gains popularity every day.
Future regulations in other countries?
In some countries, the e-cigarettes are
promoted exclusively online. This happens because TV commercials are forbidden.
It is considered that e-cigarettes are misleading, and that they encourage
smoking of any kind. Even if it is not based on tobacco, the electronic
cigarette encourages vices, or at least some “specialists” claim that it does.
In fact, e-cigarettes can be sold in
pharmacies as an anti-smoking treatment, if they contain more than 2 mg of
nicotine. However, before introducing it as a medical treatment, it is required
for every country looking for regulations to study the cigarettes completely.
The fewer studies made since now prove that
the e-cigarette is not harmful, so it can be easily adopted. If the person that
wants to buy the product passed through all the stages of smoking, it means
that he or she is fully aware about all the risks involved in smoking the
e-cigarette.
Competing with giants
The e-cigarette comes in direct competition
with two of the largest industries in the world: the one of tobacco, and the
one of medicines. The competition is so high that the e-cigarette producers
asked for their products to be authorized as medical treatments. An interesting
fact is that BAT (British American Tobacco) bought the Intellicig brand, which
produces e-cigarettes and liquids. Even the producers of Marlboro stated that
they want to create their own e-cigarette. This means that classical producers
adapt to the new tendencies, so the legal matters about those smoking devices
might be solved soon.