E-Cigarette Regulation

Have I been over-seas for too long?  Apparently, e-cigarettes have become such a thing that there is outcry by some to have them regulated.  At the point that I left the ‘States, e-cigarettes were a thing that smokers used as a way to stop smoking.  Apparently, e-cigarettes are now becoming cool and trendy with flavors like grape and bubble gum.  The truth is though, we don’t have all the details of what long term inhalation of isolated nicotine can do.  Truthfully, do we ever? We can study things on lab mice all day long, but until something has been on the market for many, many years, there is no way to know if something is really healthy or safe.

The other statement people are making is that the flavored e-cigarettes are a gateway for kids to other smoking products.  I have seen the rise of flavored tobaccos in my day and age, and so, yes, I can see where that sentiment is coming from.  But what should be done about it?  Should E-cigarettes have the same advertising regulations as all tobacco products?

E-cigarettes do have a use. But should they be trendy because they don’t have all the carcinogens that most tobacco products have? Trendy is just that, a passing fad. At some point this fad will pass and we will all have moved on to something else.