Has the FDA overreacted to any potential threat from vaping?

As the US vaping market begins to adapt to a new regulatory environment there are real concerns that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) may have overreacted to the potential threat from vaping. As of today all products brought to market after 2007 will have to be submitted to the FDA for rigourous testing which will be extremely costly. Only products which have been passed by the FDA will be available for sale to the US public.

When you bear a mind the number of products which have been brought to market after 2007 we can only guess at the potential backlog this will create. That is assuming the underlying companies have the finances available to go through the costly application process.

Why is vaping suddenly fashionable?

The last decade has seen a monumental struggle for vaping companies to gain acceptance and even the chance to present their products to the general public. Politicians, regulators and tobacco companies have regularly ridiculed the industry and tried to keep it under wraps. While at the start of the century a move in favour of vaping began to gain momentum nobody could have guessed the speed at which vaping has taken the consumer market by storm.

However, even though the industry is now readily accepted by consumers around the world it has taken some time for politicians and regulators to even consider the potential benefits. So, after a raft of positive comments from politicians and health bodies around the world, why is vaping suddenly fashionable?

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Scottish government challenges scientists over electronic cigarettes

While the Scottish authorities were recently forced to backtrack in relation to a ban on electronic cigarette use on hospital premises, it was seems as though MSPs are still determined to control the industry. The Scottish government recently passed a bill banning the use of tobacco cigarettes in cars where children are present. When you bear a mind the raft of scientific and medical research suggesting the potential impact of secondary smoking this seems fair?

However, the Scottish government, in tandem with the Law Society of Scotland and the Children in Scotland pressure group, sought to extend this ban to electronic cigarettes. The move was rejected however the Scottish government has suggested it will “continue to monitor” the secondary smoking impact of electronic cigarettes on the immediate environment.

World Lung Foundation under pressure for criticising ecigs

In what some are putting forward as an example of anti-vaping scaremongering the World Lung Foundation has this week come under significant pressure to explain its recent criticism of electronic cigarettes. Using what it describes as a “key study” the foundation came to the conclusion that electronic cigarettes are a gateway to tobacco products. When you bear in mind previous media coverage of electronic cigarettes, prior to the issue of various research notes, this may not surprise you. However, what is going on behind the scenes?

Key study

It appears that the so-called key study was in fact based upon statements from a small group of 16 and 17-year-olds in one area of Scotland. Indeed the claim that electronic cigarettes are a gateway to tobacco products seems to have been based upon the comments of just one student. Quite how the World Lung Foundation was able to disseminate one comment to prove a point is a mystery.

Are there any viable alternatives to electronic cigarettes?

Despite the fact that authorities around the world have attempted to destabilise and disrupt the electronic cigarette industry it is now more popular today than it ever has been. The monumental growth of recent years is expected to be repeated in the short to medium term and this despite the threat of overly strict regulations and in some cases retrospective regulations. So, with politicians and regulators unable to agree whether electronic cigarettes are a help in the fight against tobacco addiction, are there really any viable alternatives?

Quit smoking aids

Those looking to reduce their tobacco intake in years gone by were pushed towards the quit smoking aid sector which is effectively controlled by the pharmaceutical companies. These companies work hand-in-hand with governments around the world to offer an opportunity to reduce an individual’s tobacco intake. There is a lively debate about the level of success of the likes of nicotine inhalers, nicotine patches and other similar products with much of the statistical data not exactly supportive!

NHS smoke cessation services impacted by electronic cigarettes

Despite the fact that regulations do not allow electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices to be used as smoke cessation aids, there is evidence to suggest they are having a major impact upon NHS quit smoking services. A recent report confirmed that the number of products dispatched by the NHS to help people quit smoking fell by over 30% in the 2014/15 financial year compared to the previous period. This is the second consecutive year of reduced activity within the NHS quit smoking service. So, is this all down to electronic cigarettes?

Smoke cessation aids

While the number of people turning to the NHS smoke cessation service for assistance has fallen significantly the NHS still dispatched over 370,000 smoke cessation items last year. Even though this is still an impressive figure it was 170,000 less than the 2013/14 financial year. Indeed the value of these items fell to just over £8 million which was a drop of more than £4.1 million on the previous period. There is an argument to suggest that, as electronic cigarettes are not available on prescription, the £4.1 million reduced expenditure will release much-needed funds to reinvest elsewhere in the NHS.