Many thanks for writing to me about the important issue of the EU Tobacco
Products Directive, and how it will affect electronic cigarettes.
Because e-cigarettes are a relatively new product they are regulated
differently in each EU country. Some countries allow e-cigarettes to be
sold without any regulation at all. Others have banned the sale of
e-cigarettes. As the UK is part of the EU's internal market it is important
that we harmonise the way we deal with this product, otherwise consumers
could be buying unregulated products which do not conform to basic safety
standards, either within their own country, or by easily purchasing it over
the internet from a neighbouring country.
The European Commission has proposed that all 'nicotine containing products'
with more than 2mg per unit should not be classed as tobacco products.
Instead, under the Commission's proposals, nearly all e-cigarettes will need
to get authorisation as a pharmaceutical product, in the same way as
nicotine patches, sprays and gums.
Of course there is a balance to strike. On one hand e-cigarettes have the
potential to be a helpful way to help somebody quit smoking entirely and
greatly improve their health. On the other hand e-cigarettes currently can
contain up to 48mg of nicotine - far more than a regular cigarette, making
them highly addictive. As nicotine is the drug that makes cigarettes
addictive, somebody that tries e-cigarettes could be much more likely to go
on to smoke regular cigarettes. Furthermore, there is no evidence that
e-cigarettes are safe, and it is concerning that they are being marketed as
a 'healthy' alternative to smoking. Currently we do not have any conclusive
evidence either that e-cigarettes are helpful for giving up smoking, or that
they encourage it.
While we do not have this scientific evidence to rely on I think it is wise
to have a cautious approach to e-cigarettes. If they are
effective in helping people to stop smoking, then it is appropriate that
they are regulated in the same way as other smoking cessation tools, such as
nicotine patches.
The Commission proposal is not final and there will be many months of
negotiations by the European Parliament, as well as health ministers from
the UK and other EU countries, before the legislation is agreed. During this
time Labour MEPs will be looking carefully at all of the measures and trying
to find the best way to ensure that we effectively reduce smoking rates in
the UK and across Europe.
Thanks again for writing to me on this important issue.
Best Wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Skinner, Labour MEP for the South East.
_______________________________________
There's so many statements in this email that has annoyed me and contradicted what I pointed out in my original email.
"nearly all e-cigarettes will need
to get authorisation as a pharmaceutical product, in the same way as
nicotine patches, sprays and gums."
I'd already covered this by stating that e-cigs weren't NRT such as patches, inhalators etc., but were a safer cigarette alternative with none of the carcinogens found in tobacco cigarettes.
"somebody that tries e-cigarettes could be much more likely to go
on to smoke regular cigarettes. Furthermore, there is no evidence that
e-cigarettes are safe, and it is concerning that they are being marketed as
a 'healthy' alternative to smoking. Currently we do not have any conclusive
evidence either that e-cigarettes are helpful for giving up smoking, or that
they encourage it."
I also said that anyone who starts smoking or is already a smoker can be educated on the health benefits of swapping tobacco cigarettes to e.cigarettes as it saves so many lives. 5 million people worldwide die from smoking related diseases every year. I pointed out that it had been suggested by various individuals that using an e.cigarette could encourage people to go on to smoking, but statistics show that on the contrary, the reverse was a fact.
" Furthermore, there is no evidence that
e-cigarettes are safe, and it is concerning that they are being marketed as
a 'healthy' alternative to smoking. Currently we do not have any conclusive
evidence either that e-cigarettes are helpful for giving up smoking, or that
they encourage it."
This annoyed me the most as I covered it at the beginning of my email. I said that although no thorough or conclusive testing had been carried out on e. cigarettes to prove they were safe, none had been done to prove they were unsafe either.
The reasons I gave why it meant so much to me personally re. my health problems was totally ignored.After reading his reply, I think everything I typed was ignored.
Quit, give up, quit, that's all he was interested in. >
Apologies for the rant and mega scroll.
)
