Nanny State out to snuff e-cigarettes

“Although more than a third of current or recently quit smokers indicate they use an e-cigarette or vapor product, we know from Oklahoma Quitline data that people who try to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking are 43 percent less likely to quit as compared to people not using them”, said Adrienne Rollins, Tobacco Use Prevention Manager at the Oklahoma State Department of Health. According to survey results, 7.6 percent of Oklahoma residents say they are using e-cigarettes. “In fact, the increased availability and use of e-cigarettes has coincided with a larger fall in youth and adult smoking than has been seen for several years”.

Neighbouring countries had banned e-cigarettes and he felt Malaysia should do likewise.

The battery-powered devices heat flavored liquid nicotine and other chemicals. And a prevalence of candy-flavored e-liquids leaves them concerned about the potential for harm to youth. Nicotine use by adolescents has been shown to disrupt developing cognitive abilities, like judgment and reasoning, at key periods during their lifetime. Currently, e-cigarettes can be sold legally in Hong Kong, and they are regulated as pharmaceutical products by the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance. “This is because, like other nicotine replacement products, when used in a quit attempt, evidence from randomized controlled trials and one large “real world” study have shown that they roughly double the chances of success”.

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) says it has received complaints from teachers about children as young as 12 years old vaping, or smoking electronic cigarettes. Comedian Steve Martin had a snappy comeback that we won’t repeat here – kids, ask your parents – but which might again be useful with the growth in the use of e-cigarettes. “But if a nonsmoker starts vaping and gets hooked on nicotine, especially if it leads to tobacco smoking, that’s a problem”.

“This new information about e-cigarette use in New York state should further strengthen our resolve to make our communities tobacco free”, said Jenna Brinkworth, TFEN community engagement coordinator.

A new survey on the use of tobacco products in New York State shows a change in the dynamic of the tobacco marketplace, shifting from traditional cigarette brands to newer products. Smoking is a major cause of multiple cancers, of heart disease and stroke, and is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.