Electronic Cigarette News: the Good, the Bad, and the Bizarre

It seems that the entire world has chosen this week to weigh in on the various issues that surround the Electronic Cigarette Industry. As seems to have become the norm in recent weeks, the news ranges from the common list of experts giving their opinions here at home, to bizarre political happenings in far off lands.

In the interest of keeping our readers as well informed as possible, here is the weekly rundown of electronic cigarettes in the news.

The Bizarre

Our first story can only be described as bizarre, but is a wonderful illustration of some of the battles, that the electronic cigarette industry is fighting world wide.

India, is a country that has the highest per capita smoking rate in the world, a country. It is also a world leader, in underage smoking, cardiopulmonary disease, and cancer deaths. Now there is a push by the government to impose a complete ban on ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) or as they are more commonly called,  electronic cigarettes.

The laughable cause of this ban according to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) is that “Inhaling nicotine can be dangerous”.

Of course, no mention is made in the Bill concerning the safety of the estimated 275,000,000 people, in India, who smoke traditional cigarettes daily or the fact that, India’s Tobacco Industry, has itself tried to make inroads into the e-cig market, but haven’t been able to compete with imports.

It’s nice to see politicians, with such concern for their constituents’ health, and passing such scientifically informed legislation.

The Good

Closer to home, a report has been released through the BBC outlets, which bodes very well for the electronic cigarette industry.

A group of international scientist, including representatives of the, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, and the University College London, analysed the results of over 80 independent studies, regarding the sale and use of electronic cigarettes. Their analysis focused on the toxicity of the chemicals in both the liquid and vapour, the use by smokers and non-smokers, and general safety concerns.

Their report is rather lengthy and to be honest, reads like stereo instructions, at times. So in the interest of brevity, I will just share a few of the more stunning bits, with you, along with some of the scientists more pertinent quotes.

The most stunning statement, to come from the report, is that in the scientist’s opinion, “e-cigarettes can aid smokers in reducing their cigarette intake and may even help them quit completely”. And they warned that over zealous regulation of such a young industry could "damage public health on a big scale".

Professor Peter Hajek, one of the authors of the paper, stated emphatically, "Regulators need to be mindful of crippling the e-cigarette market and by doing so failing to give smokers access to these safer products that could save their lives"

Another of the scientist on the team, Anna Gilmore of the, Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, was quoted in an interview in “The Guardian”, regarding the report, as saying "E-cigarettes are certain to be way less harmful than cigarettes. Common sense would dictate that".

The Bad

As they say “into every life a little rain must fall” but thankfully the bad news this week may not actually be bad.

In fact, many in the electronic cigarette industry would say, that just as “it takes a little rain to make a garden grow”, the few new drops that have fallen this week are liquid sunshine that will only help the industry, as a whole flourish.

Cases in point:

There was, once again, a call put out by the WHO (World Health Organization) for stiff regulation of electronic cigarettes and e-liquids stating "the chemicals used in electronic cigarettes have not been fully disclosed, and there are no adequate data on their emissions".

Not to be out quoted, Anna Gilmore, this time on behalf of the BMA (British Medical Association) stated “The real truth is that we just do not know. We cannot say e-cigarettes are risk-free. We cannot yet be sure what impact they will have on smoking rates or population health, whether they'll be the miracle product or not."

It is nice to hear a doctor admit that they don’t know, but the upside to all of this “Bad News” is that, even industry insiders agree that a little regulation, as long as it doesn’t overly damage the market, would be healthy for the industry.

As with any young industry, there are those who are more ethical and those less scrupulous. Proper regulations regarding labelling, disclosure, production standards and advertising will help to eliminate the less ethical and at the same time help to build consumer confidence in the electronic cigarette industry overall.