FDA Skeptical About E-SmokesIt seems like a perfect invention: a "cigarette" that offers all the pleasures of smoking without all the smoke. E-cigarettes are battery-operated metal tubes that deliver a dose of nicotine and generate flavored steam that looks like smoke but has no carcinogens.
But of course, they still have nicotine and they reinforce the habit that smokers have such trouble breaking: feeding their oral fixation. (I wrote a post about e-smokes back in February that took a more positive tact on the issue.)
Sort of like methadone, e-cigarettes don't so much cure an addict of his addiction as replace the addiction with a mildly less harmful version. But health officials and anti-smoking advocates are now questioning just how much "better" e-cigs really are.
Here's CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the topic:
Because they don't produce smoke, you can legally "smoke" e-cigarettes anywhere, which some believe might encourage many more people to pick them up. Also, because a e-cigarette "starter kit" costs around $60, many smokers might be disinclined to make the investment, opting instead for the immediate gratification of a pack of the real things.
In addition, the FDA is trying to negotiate its role in the whole debate. While the organization does not regulate tobacco, it can regulate how much nicotine is in any product -- whether electronic, those you put on your skin, or the kinds that burn. And because there isn't enough evidence that e-cigs are safe, the FDA is trying to halt further importation, though the organization is not seizing products already in the US market.
We are "pretty sure" e-cigarettes are safe, says Elicko Taieb, the CEO of Smoking Everywhere, the largest distributor of e-cigarettes in the United States. And yet, the company declined a CNN request to review reports from the European study that has created Taieb's near-certainty.
Sounds like a red flag to me.
add to del.icio.us
add to digg
add to yahoo
related at technorati
share on facebook
Check our most impactful articles and see how popular these opinions are with you.
Will others follow in your footsteps? Share your thoughts and ideas for changing the world.
I'm sorry but this is completely missing the point. Using electronic cigarettes (responsibly) is infinitely less damaging than smoking conventional cigarettes. You are inhaling nicotine, admittedly a very addictive drug, but one that by itself and in small doses is comparable to caffeine. Of course if you are stupid and inhale silly amounts then nicotine can be dangerous, but so can caffeine or even water for argument's sake. The point is that you are eliminating thousands of really nasty chemicals and carcinogens that tobacco smoke contains. I am certainly not saying that electronic cigarettes are for everyone. The only people who should consider them are those who are currently smokers and have tried and failed to give up repeatedly. If you are a non-smoker, a minor, pregnant or have medical conditions then please hands off.
Hermann Not only is this, as argued in the excellent article, a highly regressive tax, but you also have to worry about the effectiveness in reducing smoking. Even if it does give a few people the final push to give up, the massive tax hike will hurt the economy by leaving less money in people's pocket to spend on goods and services. Nicotine is highly addictive, so cigarettes will be the last thing people give up. That leaves the state with a big extra tax-take, which is probably the less then high-minded intention anyway. Who knows, people might change their habits to cheaper ways of satisfying their nicotine craving, electronic cigarettes spring to mind.
Hermann Cannot Stop Smoking
I'm sorry but this is completely missing the point. Using electronic cigarettes (responsibly) is infinitely less damaging than smoking conventional cigarettes. You are inhaling nicotine, admittedly a very addictive drug, but one that by itself and in small doses is comparable to caffeine. Of course if you are stupid and inhale silly amounts then nicotine can be dangerous, but so can caffeine or even water for argument's sake. The point is that you are eliminating thousands of really nasty chemicals and carcinogens that tobacco smoke contains. I am certainly not saying that electronic cigarettes are for everyone. The only people who should consider them are those who are currently smokers and have tried and failed to give up repeatedly. If you are a non-smoker, a minor, pregnant or have medical conditions then please hands off.
Hermann Cannot Stop Smoking