subject: Evolution of the E Cigarette Story: The E Smoking Battle [print this page] Evolution of the E Cigarette Story: The E Smoking Battle
Welcome to part 3 of this particular series of articles that has been taking a look at how the story of the electronic cigarette has gained pace and gathered momentum, especially since I wrote my first article on the subject, back in 2008.
At the end of the previous chapter, we hinted that after a promising start in which the e cigarette fairly burst from the starting gate, that dark clouds were forming on the horizon in the form of all sorts of legal battles with health authorities and government officials, especially regarding the marketing issues of the product.
Of course nicotine is known to be highly addictive and with the electronic cigarette using nicotine cartridges, this was one of the main areas under attack, particularly from health officials worried that the promotion of the product would encourage yet more people to become addicted, especially those in the younger age brackets. The main worry was that the e cig was going to be marketed as hip and trendy (especially with its many flavours of nicotine e-liquid) and therefore encourage teenagers to buy the product in much the same way as some believed that alcopops encouraged youngsters to buy alcohol.
Now, all of the reputable distributors of the e cig have warnings all over their websites, stating the dangers of nicotine and clearly stating that their product is not for sale to anyone under the age of 18. (At least that's the case with UK distributors)
Perhaps it is fair to say that in its infancy there were not enough guidelines from distributors about electronic cigarettes, but this is often the case with any new product or item.
Anyway, the battle was well and truly engaged with victories and losses for both sides of the debate. The situation is different all over world and it's difficult to give an accurate sense of where this all may end up. Certain countries have decided to ban all distribution and sales of e cigs, whilst in other countries (the UK, at least at present) the restrictions remain fairly relaxed.
Apparently the product is being rigorously tested by both sides in an attempt to categorically determine whether or not these things can be on sale.
As an onlooker, it's difficult to see how the electronic cigarette can possibly be restricted from sale for any length of time, unless something really sinister is found in testing. The basic facts as they stand are that regular cigarettes full of their tobacco are on sale worldwide and never likely to be banned, so how can a similar product that takes out the deadly tobacco not be available?
