EU Tobacco Products Directive

We all know that electronic cigarettes generate a lot of speculations (Specially for the Scientific and Health Communities) and not all of them are positive. The same goes for European countries by which news laws controlling tobacco and nicotine products such are electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes; are being proposed.

I know, I know...you might be asking why does this concern me or why would it bother me? Well, "the proposed legislation would ban, or effectively ban, nicotine products that people can (and do) use as much less dangerous alternatives to smoking cigarettes – for example, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, vapour devices, or other novel ways of taking nicotine that don’t involve burning tobacco. Although the risk is reduced by 95-99% if there is no smoke, Europe still thinks it is better to ban these products even though they are a potential life-saver for people who can’t or don’t want to give up nicotine.   If you use these products yourself, they are restricting your options and adding to your health risks.  Background information on ‘tobacco harm reduction’ here "


Still, doesn't concern you? 


Here's a summary of what they're trying to do...

1. Bans the safest tobacco products.

2. Treats e-cigarettes as though they are medicines – potentially banning or marginalizing them.

3. Prevents any claim that one tobacco product is less harmful than another.

Does It Even Matter?

Well, real people are at stake here. In case you didn't know, "smoking kills about 700,000 and costs €25 billion in health care costs in Europe annually (about 100,000 and £3.7 billion for the UK) [source]"

 If this new law is passed, safer alternatives or potentially safer options would then be banned and thus harm reduction for those people who finds it hard to quit would be perilous.

"The proposed directive contains measures that make it harder or impossible for smokers to switch from cigarettes to much less dangerous nicotine products – an approach that will cause much more death and disease than it prevents. If you smoke, use e-cigarettes, or if have friends or relatives that smoke, or if you are concerned about the health damage from smoking, then this directive matters to you." 
-taken from e-cigarette-forum.com post



What Can I do?

•  Write to your MP and MEPs

Here's a short Guide on  Who to Write and What to Say about EU Tobacco Directives. 

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Big Tobacco Now Joins The E Cigarette Industry

As we all know that electronic cigarettes were originally designed to be an alternative to smoking. But, what if these tobacco companies decided to manufacture/create their own  line of ecigarettes? I mean who else can better imitate the flavors that made smokers addicted for years than those from the well-known tobacco brands namely British American Tobacco(BAT), Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds.

In 2012 Lorillard Tobacco purchased the Blu brand of e-cigarettes and RJ Reynolds(RR) is said to be producing its own brand of e-cigarette. The strategy is simple; as tobacco companies lose cigarette smokers they gain new e-cigarette customers.

In an interview with CNBC, Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog said e-cigarettes produced as much as a half-billion dollars last year and is believed to double this year. Amazingly, big tobacco industries found a way to cash in on the anti-smoking campaign. What was thought to be a bad news for tobacco industry has now become another means of market. Another speculated reason is because e-cigarettes are untaxed and unregulated in most US States (except in Minnesota). We all know how cigarettes are heavily taxed.

One main question still remains once these big tobacco companies join the electronic cigarette industry, "Are electronic cigarettes a safe alternative to smoking?"