Sales of electronic cigarettes rise, and so does criticism

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   Stacie Lposted 13 years ago

   Sales of electronic cigarettes rise, and so does criticism
   AFP
   
   
   Sales of electronic cigarettes rise, and so does criticism AFP/ANP/File  Makers of electronic cigarettes are reporting strong growth in sales as anti-tobacco laws force European ¦
   by Marie-Noelle Blessig Marie-noelle Blessig  Sun Jan 2, 5:42 pm ET
   
   PARIS (AFP) Makers of electronic cigarettes are reporting strong growth in sales as anti-tobacco laws force European smokers into the cold streets, but campaigners say the device is undercutting health efforts.
   
   Spain joined Sunday the ranks of countries that have outlawed smoking in enclosed public space after a wave of similar legislation across Europe.
   
   For the makers of electronic cigarettes, which simulate the sensation of a cigarette and can contain nicotine, the traditionally heavy smoking nation marks a potentially lucrative market for their much-criticised product.
   
   "We have seen sales grow by 30 percent each year since 2007 when we launched our product," said a spokesman for EdSylver, one of the leading manufacturers of the product invented in China in 2004.
   
   Manufacturers such as EdSylver say the plastic cigarette is not harmful for the smoker or people around them, but this claim is rejected by health experts.
   
   At a World Health Organisation conference in Uruguay in November, one of its leading anti-tobacco experts Eduardo Bianco said electronic cigarettes "sabotaged smoking prevention efforts", which were designed to encourage people to quit.
   
   The plastic cigarettes function as mini aerosols, releasing artificial smoke with or without nicotine.
   
   "I am very happy with it, I want to repeat the feeling of smoking, without the harm of nicotine," said one Parisian user.
   
   Professor Yves Martinet, head of the French National Committee Against Tobacco, said the electronic cigarette was a rip-off.
   
   "This product offers no medical support for quitting smoking, there are some countries that have banned it," he said.
   
   "For the moment, this product has not been evaluated in a scientific way," he said.
   
   The French national office for smoking prevention said the purpose of the electronic cigarette was "ambiguous", and condemned its sale in pharmacies.
   
   The office said the products were presented by manufacturers both as "an aid to quitting and a product which would allow smoking in enclosed spaces."
   
   Tobacco sellers meanwhile reject manufacturers' claims that sales of the device are taking off.
   
   "It doesn't sell at all, some of our members still have stocks from last year," said Gerard Bohelay, the head of an association of tobacco retailers in the French capital.
   http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/francehealthtobacco
   
   i know there must be people alarmed by sights of others lighting up in a store....smokers need that feel and look of smoking that bad?

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      thisisoliposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Electronic cigarettes are safer than actual cigarettes.  Yes they can be addicitve, but would you rather your kids were smoking cancerous chemicals rather than a more passive addictive substance?

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      rieomposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I was at the doctors this week for a check up.  I brought up the idea of an electronic cigarette and if that would be exchanging one addiction for another.  He said that yes I would get nicotine but none of the carcinogenics associated with tobacco use  As I understand it, there are different levels of nicotine that you can use.  My hope is to wean from tobacco to smokeless to stopping smoker.

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      amymarie_5posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      There are people out there who can't quit no matter what they do, so in my opinion, if there is a device that mimics the effect of smoking and provides nicotine and not the one thousand plus chemicals in a normal cigarette?  It just seems a bit odd to me that health experts are criticizing a product without studying it first.

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   KCC Big Countryposted 13 years ago

   One of the best inventions ever.  With over a year's worth of personal experience with them, they are fantastic. Hubby is the smoker who made the switch.  I'm the one not having to deal with the horrible smoke and tar.

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   Diana Kingposted 13 years ago

   There are two things I couldn't live without. My e-cigs and my ebook reader.

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   Bill Manningposted 13 years ago

   Interesting. I signed up and became an affiliate for them, but I never got even one sale so I stopped.

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   TheSeniorposted 13 years ago

   Let's fact it - while 'e-cigs' does not have all the bad chemicals that a regular cig carries it still has the nicotine that is the addictive agent that binds the user to the product.
   
   Are they safe???  They sure ain't gonna save anybody money And they will keep those that are addicted still addicted. 
   
   Let's also face it that some people enjoy smoking and according to the tobacco industry 'it is a plesurable habit' - well with a real cig is starts out that way but even my own mom told me later in life that she wished that she hadn't even started and I slowly watched my aunt's and uncle's die from the effects of this product - I did use and when it started to reduce my health I Quit.

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