E-CIGS

Good news for E-Cig user,s, from 2016 you will be able to get them on Prescription as the Government will class them as a medicine. Strict regulations will be put on any Company selling them or E-Liquid so that,s a good thing and will be welcomed by users.

[sue52 3 YEAR WINNER]

That is good news Mad I missed the news so wasn't sure what was happening

[EmJay Partner]

Hi Mad,

The decision, announced by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulation Agency (MHRA), covers all nicotine-containing products currently on the market.

MHRA research found that nicotine levels can be "considerably different" from the level stated on the label. Furthermore, the amount of nicotine in each product was found to differ from batch to batch – which casts doubt on how useful the products are to people who want to cut down or stop smoking.

But now the MHRA will regulate the products so that there is a consistent standard across all licensed products sold over the counter.

E-cigarettes will still be available over the counter in supermarkets and newsagents, but medicines regulation will mean that manufacturers will have to seek a licence and will be banned from advertising them to under 16s.

Here's what Eileen Streets, our Director of Tobacco Control has said;

“I am very pleased that e cigarettes will be regulated by the government for medicinal use.

“We work with people who are trying to quit smoking every day and we have seen the popularity of e-cigarettes on the rise, particularly over the past 12 months.

“However, we have been unable to recommend their use as we could not be confident they were safe.

“As a lung cancer charity we see first hand the devastating effect smoking has, and we hope the introduction of regulated e cigarettes in 2016 will be another tool in the fight against the UK’s biggest cancer killer.”

[Hidden]

Cigarette manufactures will now jump in and start producing e-cigs as people smoking real cig,s will swap over and they wont want to miss out on the market, I wonder if they will start playing around with them and adding additives to them as they do with cigs now. They dont work for eveyone, a little will power is still needed but they definitely seem to be getting better results than any other NRT available

[Hidden]

very funny Kath, you just get on with trying the one you,ve got never mind waiting all that time :0

[Hidden]

I personally wonder just who is behind the apparent concern by Europe for our good health. Personally I think the tobacco companies have put pressure on governments who lets face it also stand to lose money on the duty they've enjoyed living off at the expense of the lives of smokers.

I find it sheer hypocrisy to demand on one hand that the sale of e-cigs is licensed and controlled by Europe while happily allowing the legal sale of a product (tobacco) known to cause ill health, cancer, and heart disease.

I have read somewhere that so far one UK e-cig manufacturer has already started the process of getting their product licensed as a smoking cessation product. Thus far they have spent 3 years and 1 million pounds and still do not have the licence. By the time the regulatory bodies have finished making sure e-cigs are 'safe', how much do you think they will cost - probably double what they are now despite the fact that at the moment they attract VAT whereas as a medical product they should not be subject to VAT.

The whole thing stinks as far as I'm concerned and I'm glad that I'm finding it pretty much yet another useless product as far giving up smoking is concerned, however there are many people in this country who have stopped smoking as a result of using e-cigs and I knew as sure as eggs are eggs that as its popularity increased the powers that be would start getting upset at the potential loss of income from smokers. It was on the news last week, though far more low key than the e-cig news that the treasury is currently losing 2 billion pounds in lost duty because of a massive increase in smuggled tobacco products into this country from Eastern European countries. Apparently these cigarettes are easy to come by in corner shops and are kept "under the counter", you only have to ask. Now if the Government is losing 2 billion pounds on these alone, how much do they stand to lose if the majority of smokers gave up smoking. Tsk. Just another good reason to give up nicotine altogether if you ask me.

[AeonTremor]

About time e-Cigs had proper testing/regulation and until then they should all be withdrawn from sale. No exceptions!

[Betts]

I am not happy with them being taken over into prescriptions, unless the same is done for fags.

[Hidden in reply to Betts]

Haha I think hell would freeze over first.

[Hidden in reply to Betts]

This will never happen, like Sin said, hell would freeze over first, Tobacco Companies give MASSIVE backhander,s to the Government

There not doing this because they want to check the safety of e-cig,s there doing it because they want MONEY.

If you buy from a Company who has joined ECITA then you can be sure that the liquid does not contain hazadous chemicals, unlike ciggys and also that battery,s meet EU standards. Trading standards work close with any ECITA member.s and regulate what,s being sold, so anyone who uses one should be careful were they buy them and check if they are ECITA members or not.

[EmJay Partner]

Just found this amusing article that you may like to read. The comments at the bottom are worth having a read through too;

blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/...

[Hidden in reply to EmJay]

Unbelievable Emjay the way some people,s minds work, I never thought smoking a ciggy or vaping an e-cig looks sexy at all. I wouldn,t use my e-cig in public as I don,t feel the need to take it with me wherever I go like I did with ciggys, they were stuck to me 24/7.

No wonder young one,s take up smoking if some morons think it,s sexy, there,s nothink sexy about smoking at all.

[tomc LONG TERM WINNER]

Fags were not sexy yet millions all over the world smoke and are addicted.

School kids have already been smoking both fags and ecigs in the bike shed can just hear the kids argument for ecig " but sir the advertisement says you can smoke them anywhere at least we hide in the bike shed".

If ecig is proven to be safe even better news for users no tar or other toxins must be a win win scenario.

As to the government::it will only be a matter of time until they start adding tax to the cost.

My own concern is that ecig is as addictive as a real fag and we are only exchanging one habit for another.

Smokers who are tired and fed up of the weed need to use any means at their disposal to eventually get rid of BOTH habits and live a long healthy smoke and vape free life.

To our health.

Tom.

[Hidden in reply to tomc]

Morning Tom

Just read your comment and had to say that I totally agree with you. E-cigs do give us smokers the chance to be in a win win situation - no harmful toxins and the uniqueness of inhalation and exhalation of what looks to all intents and purporses like 'real' smoke.

If my local high school is anything to go by nowadays, kids don't bother going behind or into the bike shed they do it as openly as you and I did prior to our quit. It would seem to be that anything goes these days as regards kids and school and I just wonder if morning and afternoon break is now considered the smokers smoke break so that they don't get short tempered during class because they haven't had their fix! Maybe the teachers class smoking as an aid to concentration, who know what teachers think nowadays!

Do most definitely agree that the government will add a whopping chunk of tax to the cost - they will have to to recoup what they will lose on all the fags that don't sell because people are giving up. Certain that any government would tax fresh air if they thought they could get away with it! Time will tell though about the e-cigs - after all it has to be tested and approved yet!!

I personally feel that you are more than right in your concern about ecigs being as addictive as the real thing. I have an ecig which I have only had a couple of days and already it feels like a part of me - where I go it goes. If it is nicotine in fags that is the addictive substance then ecigs are in fact worse because they contain pure unadulterated (no chemicls like cigs) nicotine so I am now thinking very carefully before I use my ecig. I do, at this moment in time, feel that if I use the ecig too much,. I will, as you say, be just exchanging one habit for another.

As someone who has not bee on the forum long (about 3 months) I do not know how you quit and just wondered if your comment was 'fueled' by your own experience.

As you say, to our health and to our wealth which also benefits from our quit.

Kath.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Kath you are going to get addicted ( if that,s what you call it ) to your e-cig if your not careful, taking it with you werever you go is NOT a good idea unless you want to vape instead of smoke.

If you want to get away from Nico then your going the wrong way about it as your taking him with you when your out and you say you feel your e-cig is part of you, it shouldn,t be part of you it,s just a tool to stop you smoking.

Leave it at home when you go to work and gradually you will see that you DON,T need Nico all the time, it,s a good tool to use as you can lower your Nico intake and then stop it all together if that,s what you want and don,t forget there are different flavours which have zero Nico if you just need the feeling of smoking.

Be careful with the use of it otherwise you have swopped one thing for another

[tomc LONG TERM WINNER in reply to Hidden]

Unfortunately My days of school bike sheds are well over and done with, I did not start smoking until I was 21 and that was in a moment of madness trying to impress friends and females!!!.

After a few stop overs in hospital with lung problems I decided enough was enough and went cold turkey in hospital.

I became irritable and argumentative and knew I had to do something ( or wind up a lonely man.

So I bought skcig electric cig and they worked!

however I was becoming addicted to them,.

I now have cut the dose and intend to go even further down in dosage as mad has said in her post you can go all the way down to zero nic but still have the routine of hand to mouth movement.

ultimately the goal is to not have the need for nicotine at all and this seems a less stressful approach to achieve that goal.

After all we are only human with human faults that took time and perseverance to develop and it will take time and patience to get out of the habit.

E-cigs are now being classified as a medicine according to the news which will mean they will have to be licensed and thoroughly tested and available on prescription.

All good news.....................but lets hope by the time that happens, we wont need them.

Good luck with your quit stick with it, it will take time but it is time well spent.

Tom.

[EmJay Partner]

It's an interesting subject, addiction... Are we addicted or do we just think we are? Either way, some people need the help and support to stop doing what it is they are (or think they are) addicted to

Anyways.... Here's another interesting read on e-cigs by NHS Choices;

nhs.uk/news/2013/06June/Pag...

[Hidden in reply to EmJay]

Yes I agree with you Emjay about the word addiction, I myself look at it as lack of willpower in me, lack of control and not an addiction. That,s just my opinion and I,m 100 % certain others will disagree, so we,ll agree to disagree

The article on E-Cigs has the price of an E-Cig and cartomiser way out, they dont cost that much money the rest of it is an excellent read though.

[jules56]

fantastic about time!!!