E CIGS.

[jillygirl]

Thought I would post this about E.cigs and children. See what you all think.

Government To Ban Under-18s From Buying Electronic Cigarettes

electronic cigarette ban

The Government is to introduce new legislation to ban under-18s from buying electronic cigarettes.

The Coalition also plans to make it illegal for adults to purchase cigarettes for anyone under 18, under tough new laws aimed at cracking down on teenage smoking.

The announcement comes as e-cigarettes are enjoying a boom in sales, with an estimated 1.3 million people in the UK thought to use them.

The law, which will be introduced next week as an amendment to the Children and Families Bill, will also ban 'proxy purchasing' - knowingly buying tobacco on behalf of someone under 18.

Adults caught breaking the law, which ministers hope will come into force by the autumn, could be given a £50 a fixed penalty notice or fined up to £2,500.

Public Health Minister and Conservative MP Jane Ellison said: "Two thirds of smokers say they smoked regularly before they were 18, showing that this is an addiction largely taken up in childhood.

"We must do all we can to help children lead a healthy life. That's why this measure is designed to help protect children from the dangers of being bought cigarettes by irresponsible adults - something that I hope concerned parents and responsible retailers will welcome.

While many people view the tobacco-free devices as a better alternative to traditional cigarettes, health experts remain deeply concerned about the long-term effects they could have on users' health.

E-cigarettes provide a hit of nicotine - a highly addictive drug - and some fear they reinforce the behaviour of smoking, making it harder to give up in the long term.

England's chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said: "We do not yet know the harm that e-cigarettes can cause to adults let alone to children, but we do know they are not risk free.

"E-cigarettes can produce toxic chemicals and the amount of nicotine and other chemical constituents and contaminants, including vaporised flavourings, varies between products meaning they could be extremely damaging to young people's health."

Currently there is no restriction on people under the age of 18 buying e-cigarettes, and they are hugely popular among teenagers in Briton.

But it is feared that children are turning to the smokeless devices - designed to help users quit - before moving on to traditional cigarettes.

Many secondary schools across the UK have resorted to banning e-cigarettes over fears they are encouraging pupils to take up smoking.

Smoking rates have fallen to their lowest ever, in the wake of the ban on smoking in public and a series of shocking public health campaigns highlighting the dangers of cigarettes.

But more than 1,000 people end up in hospital every day as a result of smoking, and experts have warned that the growth in e-cigarettes could reverse some of the good work that has been done in tackling the dangerous habit.

The latest move comes as Department of Health figures reveal that 41% of 15-year-olds who smoke say they usually buy their cigarettes from other people rather than buying them from a shop.

And 95% of 11- to 15-year-olds who smoke have managed to get someone else to buy cigarettes for them in a shop at least once in the past year.

The proxy purchase of alcohol is already illegal, and retailers have been calling for the creation of a proxy purchasing offence for tobacco for many years.

Smoking is one of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK. Every year around 100,000 people die from smoking, and it is linked to a string of other potentially fatal illnesses including heart disease and strokes.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said: "ASH supports the government decision to make it illegal to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s.

"Although our research shows the only children using e-cigarettes are already smokers, and even then the numbers are small, this is a rapidly growing market and these products are being heavily promoted."

She said of proxy purchasing of tobacco: "We know that buying cigarettes from adults is a major source of supply for under-age smokers, so in principle making buying cigarettes for children illegal is a good idea. We'd also like to see a retail licensing system put in place so that cigarettes could only legally be sold in shops not in car boot sales and markets."

[Hidden]

"Currently there is no restriction on people under the age of 18 buying e-cigarettes, and they are hugely popular among teenagers in Briton".

Briton!!!!! who wrote this. Some of the adults in this country could do with going back to school.

But yeah, I agree completely with the ban on sales to under 18's. However "officials" who it would appear can't spell keep chatting on about these harmful toxins that e-cigs produce and yet I haven't heard them actually name a single one of these toxins. I think formaldehyde was vaguely mentioned somewhere but that's about the only one.

[monky Administrator Cake sniffer outer in reply to Hidden]

Hey Sinfree, trust you to notice a spelling mistake gal Briton, huh even I know it spelt Britton

Joking apart Sinfree, I think the big tobacco companies have cottoned on to the E-cigs and are now producing them as a second income !!

Who the flippin heck knows what goes into them !! I'm not saying all of them, but maybe some of them eh ??

We are all here to quit the fags, and all the 4,000 chemicals in them, so whats stopping the E-cigs from having all those harmful chemicals in them ??

It dosnt tell you on a packet of fags about all the chemicals they have in them !! does it tell you on the E-cig packet ??

[Hidden in reply to monky]

I just find it so ironic that they can go on and on about how potentially harmful e-cigs might be when the fact remains cigarettes are readily available on the shelves to anyone willing to buy them. The Tonight program interviewed a myriad of "experts" who told us absolutely nothing. Why doesn't just one of these critics go out to the shops, buy a range of e-liquids, take them to a laboratory and test them and find out, 1. what they actually contain, 2. what happens when you heat up the liquid and 3. look at what could happen when these substances are inhaled. It's not, and I hate this phrase but am gonna use it anyway, rocket science. But they who so readily criticise and protest seem very reluctant to name their poisons.

As for tobacco companies getting in on the act. Well, they're the ones who we should fear the most, they're the real crooks in all of this and I certainly wouldn't be willing to use an e-cig or fluid that they had produced. There is a certain chemical used in cigarettes that has been found to be even more addictive than nicotine, it turns into some kind of sugar and goes straight to the brain giving you that 'ahhhh' feeling and the hit when you first light up. When the tobacco companies found out just what its effects were on the brain and how addictive it is, they packed it in right at the beginning of the cigarettes they produce just for good measure. Would you trust some scumbag like that to produce your e-liquid? Cos I certainly wouldn't.

[monky Administrator Cake sniffer outer in reply to Hidden]

Too rite Sinfree, your spot on gal

[monky Administrator Cake sniffer outer in reply to Hidden]

Hey Sinfree, please please dont go back to the fags eh cos I will predict a glorious summer this Year, with flippin loads and loads a SUNNNNNN yeahhhhhhh

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Hopefully, that may perk you up a bit eh

[Hidden in reply to monky]

Aww, that's a cute little sunshine. It's been snowing here tonight. A glorious summer eh, well I certainly hope so cos I won't have a job as of 28th Feb so I could certainly do with some of that sunshine Just think when its sunny on Thursdays I'll be able to play out in it.

[yellowsnowdrop]

I just really wish that sometime soon the gov't would publish some research on the effects that Ecigs do have on health instead of banging on about all the negatives.

I also totally agree that NO tobacco product or substitute should be sold to anyone under 18 but sadly it absolutely WILL happen.I know that without my ECig in the early days I wouldn't have got this far into my quit and I firmly believe that used wisely they do more good than harm.

[Pinkiezoom 26 Months Winner in reply to yellowsnowdrop]

Hi Yellow,

Like you i would not be able to give up without my E cig, but yes.....why wont someone just test it. x

[monky Administrator Cake sniffer outer]

Jillygirl, a great post as usual

[Pinkiezoom 26 Months Winner]

I am an E cig user, and my feelings are that without it, i would still be puffing away on 20 a day, and over 4000 different poisons. I have done a bit of research and not sure its 100% truth, but most e-liquids have the pure nicotine in it, and are suspended in a glucose syrup. And that is all that is in there, it is the glucose that causes the "vape"/smoke.

My feelings on them are all positive, and worry the reason government wont endorse them is more to do with the fact they cant tax them YET! All the companies that they do endorse and you will get on your prescriptions pay the gov big fat back handers, its just the way the world works unfortunately.

I believe the gov doesn't want us to stop smoking, imagine if from tomorrow everyone in the UK stopped smoking, the loss in tax revenue would be massive, and tax on everything else would go up. Which is why i smile when non smokers complain about the "dirty smokers" because without us, food/petrol/NI would go up by quite a lot.

Don't get me wrong i am not a government hater ( i actually work for central government ) but I can see what is going on.

I totally agree that they shouldn't be sold to teenagers although i have heard others say it is better than them smoking real cigarettes, but possibly the best out come would be to actively to encourage them to never start!

Jilly i totally agree with your comments on the "tonight" show, but was pleased that the cancer research guy manned up and said they were still much better than real smokes

But yes it is interesting that the cigarette makers are now on the band wagon......and i agree with your concerns, and good point well made, why hasnt someone just tested the eliquid? at the end of the day they can test very quickly which lasagne had horsemeat in it......you know, just saying lol

Al x

[Hidden in reply to Pinkiezoom]

Hi Al, it was me that made all the comments pro e-cig. Me that wouldn't trust tobacco companies with the production of e-cigs and yes I totally agree with everything you have just said here. It all comes down to money and power and the current situation with unregulated e-cig sales is that the big tobacco companies are missing out and as the Government lives in the pocket of the tobacco companies so I dare say pressure is being put on those who can bring about regulations to suit the tobacco companies. It would be very naive of anyone to think that politicians had our best interests at heart, the only thing they are interested in is lining their own pockets.

[Pinkiezoom 26 Months Winner in reply to Hidden]

Oops sorry Sin, apologies for getting mixed up! I agree with you completely on your views, I guess it is a case of watch this space. But hoping by the time they regulate it all i will be off my E cig lol! Do not want to fall into paying through the nose but for a different habit x