E-Cig Law Guide: Country Laws Regulating E-cigarettes
With time, E-cigarettes are being increasingly accepted as a means to combat the menace of smoking. The last few years have seen a number of e-cig policies and regulations in this regard. They are aimed to ensure that those smokers who wants to leave smoking, could do so easily. Today, e-cig is allowed in most public places - including those that do not accept smoking otherwise. About E-cigarettes and how they help Battery-powered e-Cigarettes, commonly known as vaporizers, all the rage in the market now. Electronic smoking devices can be in the form of e-cigarettes, vape sticks and personalized vaping units and hookah pens. When you inhale it, you will get an aerosol vapor which is made of nicotine, propylene glycol, and some other chemicals, instead of smoke. This process is called vaping, and you can substitute tobacco products with this device. So, what are the policies and regulations that you need to know about? Evidence has been unearthed which shows that e-cigarettes can help people give up smoking tobacco. They have grown in popularity in the last few years as they have been marketed as the less harmful alternative to actual cigarettes. According to the UK charity ASH, e-cigarettes are a much safer as vaping provides nicotine to the user but without any of the dangerous chemicals that tobacco products contain. There is good news for e-cigarette companies in the US. The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration(FDA), Scott Gottlieb has made a departure from the common methods used by the DA to regulate tobacco, e-cigarettes, and nicotine. Dr. Gottlieb has decided to stand for a scientific truth that is largely ignored by tobacco-control groups. Although people smoke cigarettes to get a daily dose of nicotine, it is actually the tar and carbon monoxide that is produced during combustion which ends up killing them. In spite of the rigorous anti-smoking campaigns launched in the US, there are millions of American smokers. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 480,000 of these smokers might face premature death if there is no significant change in the taxation policy on tobacco products. Gottlieb, who is a cancer survivor himself, understands that it is not, in fact, the tobacco but the cigarettes which are deadly for human health. He acknowledged the fact that almost 500,000 American smokers die each year because of the harmful cigarettes they consume for their regular nicotine dosage. While any sort of long-term addiction is bad for health, it is the harmful chemicals which constitute cigarettes that lead to the birth of diseases. He said the need for e-cigs to help avoid battles like cancer. Being a cancer survivor himself, he knows just how important it is to try out healthier alternatives. The rules do vary by country a bit. USA We will first take last the regulations in the United States. According to a previous ruling of the FDA, at least 99 percent of nicotine-vapor products would have been banned from American stores by August 2017. In fact, this e-cigarette rule was announced in 2016 as a result of which the industry had come to a standstill making it practically impossible to introduce innovations without going through tedious pre-approval processes. Gottlieb has announced a postponement of the application deadline from 2018 to 2022 for these vapor companies. This means that these products will be legally sold in the US for four more years. Gottlieb has also suggested that the FDA might make certain changes in their e-cigarette policy. He sticks to the country that traditional smoking can cause long term addiction which could have severe health effects. With carcinogens and high nicotine content, it wouldn't be long before health deterioration starts. Nicotine products are marketed for adults, and any sale to a minor is illegal in all 50 states of America. More than have raised the minimum age to 21. Adults should be given free choice to find a suitable vapor product which will be potentially less harmful than combustible cigarettes. Giving people access to non-combustible nicotine products is the first step in demonstrating that the FDA is taking steps to reduce the number of American smokers who die from lung cancer and heart diseases every year. The FDA stated that they hoped to strike the right balance when it comes to launching innovative tobacco products and the regulations that govern it. Europe The regulation policies, when it comes to e-cigarettes vary across different countries. With the FDA's recent change of heart, it still remains to be seen if any other country takes such progressive measures. According to an editorial in the British Medical Journal, the debate has been ongoing about the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in putting an end to cigarette smoking. However, more and people are opting for e-cigarettes. ASH has recorded an estimate that almost 2.9 million adults are using e-cigarettes in Great Britain. The EU made updates to its policies and regulations regarding tobacco products last year and included e-cigarettes and e-liquids for the first time in history. When they were first enforced, e-cigarettes went off the shelves, and all e-cig advertisements were banned on the grounds that they were responsible for promoting the consumption of nicotine. However, now the tables have turned and rules are in place which make vaping products legally eligible for sale. The UK has already begun licensing e-vapor products as a smoking cessation aid. The only condition is that they must provide the nicotine in a similar manner as the rest of the nicotine replacement therapies existing in the country. The UK is also very strict when it comes to safety standards and tolerates no compromises. Australia Australia is a much more stringent country when it comes to policies and regulations about e-cigarettes and have banned them if they contain nicotine. Some E-cigarettes do have them while many do not. Even if they do not contain nicotine they come in different flavors that one can try out easily. The e-cigarette industry is here to stay. With constant innovation and the ability to help smokers quit, it's a great way to start a new life for many.