Electronic cigarettes are sold as a safer alternative to smoking tobacco, for the reason that most of the dangerous substances created by the burning of tobacco in conventional cigarettes are not there in the atomized liquid of electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes have also been marketed as a healthy way to maintain or cut back on a dependence on nicotine. Toxicological research of electronic cigarettes has been carried out, with some finding that electronic cigarettes are less hazardous to health than conventional tobacco cigarettes. In September of 2008, the World Health Organization released a statement proclaiming that it does not consider the electronic cigarette to be a bona fide smoking cessation aid, stating that to its knowledge, “no rigorous, peer-reviewed studies have been conducted showing that the electronic cigarette is a safe and effective nicotine replacement therapy.” Even considering that, many current users of electronic cigarettes have effectively stopped smoking conventional tobacco cigarettes and have experienced the same health benefits as ex-smokers who have ceased smoking without the use of electronic cigarettes.

In the European Union some countries have stipulated a decision according to the legal status of electronic cigarette products; for instance, in Austria and Denmark, the electronic cigarette is seen as a medical device and the nicotine cartridge is viewed as a medicinal product. This means that an electronic cigarette must be CE-marked and the nicotine cartridges must be registered as medicinal products if they are to be legally sold. In the United Kingdom, electronic cigarette use is very much unrestricted, with celebrity nightclub Chinawhite allowing patrons to use the devices indoors, where conventional cigarette smoking is not allowed. In The Netherlands, the use of the electronic cigarette is legal, but advertising the electronic cigarette is not allowed as long as no European legislation or guideline exists. In Finland, the casual use of electronic cigarettes is illegal, since it is considered a medical device by the Finnish National Agency for Medicines.

As can be seen in the discussion above, the electronic cigarette is viewed differently in the various countries that make up the European Union. There is no real general legal status of the electronic cigarette, leaving the legality of the electronic cigarette up to the European Union member states. The ironic thing about this is that several European Union states refuse to allow the electronic cigarette to be advertised until the European Union body adopts a stance.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 11:45 pm and is filed under Electronic Cigarette. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.