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Electronic cigarettes are a brand new technology which have taken the world by storm since their inception in 2001. But it appears the authorities are about to clamp down heavily on their use in public spaces, whilst there appears to be little justification for such a move, other than perhaps a financial motive by the government to limit their use with a view to 'regulating' them later on, which is a short way of saying 'Tax them'! A professor from Boston University, Community Health Sciences division, argues that this alleged move to ban e-cigarettes in public places is unfounded since there is no resemblance between electronic cigarettes and tobacco as a nicotine delivery method. Doctor Siegel states that the reason e-cigs were invented was as a means to providing smokers with a way to take nicotine without dying or suffering the immense health dangers associated with tobacco smoke, namely tar and carbon monoxide. Doctor Siegel argues that most smokers have tried many times to quit smoking and failed every time, regardless of the method tried by them. Once such people have failed so many times, it is surely a reasonable and healthier alternative to at least switch their method for obtaining nicotine away from the proven lethal method of burning tobacco, and onto a far less risky method such as these electronic cigarettes. When people buy electronic cigarettes they are not the type of people who don't already have an addition to nicotine, they are almost certainly going to be tobacco smokers, therefore they are making a choice which could hugely benefit their health, or as some scientists believe, they could actually be making a decision which could easily actually save their life. This is a huge deal, and not to be watered down by the arguments over semantics, if people can save their life by converting their nicotine addiction over to electronic cigarettes, who is the FDA or any other government agency to stand in their way? The health effects of e-cigarettes are at best sketchy. Little proper research has been conducted, although it has to be said that the most research done to date has been carried out by the electronic cigarette companies themselves and not by any state regulator or health regulation body of any description. Some of the major e-cigarette brands have 4000 square foot laboratories where they voluntarily choose to conduct rigorous testing of their many types of e-cigarettes, including health effects on human subjects. The FDA in America is the body which is responsible for banning, regulating, or allowing free and open use of devices such as the electronic cigarette. They should act in accordance with best practices, aiming to assist human health and avoid dangers to it, however many feel they are merely an arm of the government which is there to help raise revenue for the treasury, thus providing a health source of funds for any new and popular devices such as these ecigs. With the current talk of a potential ban on electronic cigarettes being used in public places in the San Fransisco area, many people feel this is a deliberate targetting of a new potential tax revenue, and little to do with real issues of human and community health. Time will tell, but until a huge amount of proper and documented research is conducted, any such moves to ban the devices will appear at best guesswork, and at worst, simply a matter of taxation under the guise of doing the best for people's health.
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e-cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, smoking, tobacco,
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