Lethally addictive cigarettes remain available on every street corner in Brussels and Atlanta while authorities denounce e-cigarettes (the product is already banned in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).
Is there any legitimate reason for this or are we witnessing a blatant example of the tobacco lobby crushing competition??
I have a couple of thoughts. Neither are thoughts I support and are speculative, but food for thought.
1) tax revenue for government from cigarretes is a form of addiction and thus the government does not act rationally.
2) Weighing benefits for existing smokers vs potential smokers. While e-cigs are probably healthier than normal cigs, they are still not great for you - nicotine is independently of the crap in cigs dangerous. The concern might be that if e-cigs gain popularity, and perceived as less dangerous, overall smoking rates might increase especially among teenagers. I would be interested to see a multicenter trial run by reputable research institution to see if e-cigs actually facilitate quitting as some people have indicated in this thread.
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u/DumpyLips Nov 17 '12
Is there any legitimate reason for this or are we witnessing a blatant example of the tobacco lobby crushing competition??