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Opinion: E-cigarette users call to reverse proposals that would lead to ban

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11085480875_6b1583d0d8As policy-makers prepare to discuss the regulation of e-cigarettes in Brussels on 3 December, several thousand former cigarette smokers from across the UK, their friends, and their families have signed an open letter to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health Jane Ellison MP (the minister responsible for the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD)),  calling on the UK government to change its position on medicinal regulation. 

The letter, which has been organised by the 'Save E-cigs Campaign', aims to provide a united voice for e-cigarette users, their friends and their families, was delivered by Gerry Stimson from Knowledge Action Change, John Diver from the Save E-cigs Campaign and Conservative MP Mark Pawsey. Supporting the delivery was a cross-party group of supportive MPs, representatives of the public health community and a number of e-cigarette users.

Already, 1.5 million smokers have switched to e-cigarettes.  If current growth rates continue, by 2017 there could be nearly five million former smokers using e-cigarettes.  If the government succeeds in their campaign to have e-cigarettes regulated as a medicinal product then all currently available e-cigarettes would be withdrawn from the sale in 2017, when the revised TPD comes into force.

This would leave tobacco cigarettes as the only freely available source of nicotine and those people would be left with no option but to go back to smoking tobacco cigarettes.

Vapour Trails TV presenter David Dorn said:  “The potential for a public health disaster will be averted if the Department of Health and the UK government heed the voices of the UK's 1.5 million e-cig users. If they continue down their current course, and continue to support the European Commission's proposals, this will, in effect completely ban all e-cigs, not just in the UK, but Europe wide. The Save E-cigs Campaign is giving a voice to those people who have chosen to substitute a product with a very low risk profile for their previous smoking habit.  The UK government would be wise to listen to them.”

Background

For further information about this campaign, please visit www.saveecigs.com.

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