Despite the increasing number of independent studies that unanimously attest e-cigarettes to a significantly less pronounced health hazard potential than conventional tobacco cigarettes and thus came to the impressive result, among other things, that the risk of developing cancer from e-cigarettes is 99.5% lower, For example, the critical claim that there have been no valid long-term studies yet. E-cigarette the undoubtedly healthier alternative!
Such a criticism is generally certainly appropriate, but in view of the still young history of the e-cigarette it is of course also a murderous argument that, contrary to all current positive findings, has not been invalidated for a long time. After all, how should there be long-term studies on the effects of a phenomenon that has only existed for a few years? Another rumor about the alleged risk of passive vaping also persisted.
In the meantime, these two criticisms have also been invalidated. The first long-term study on e-cigarette consumption was published and the dangers of passive vaping were scientifically put into perspective. E-cigarette the undoubtedly healthier alternative
Nevertheless, the debate still seems inappropriately heated in places and has so far been generally undifferentiated politically. Because the political regulation of e-cigarettes has so far been greatly simplified due to the lack of better solutions and subject to the European Tobacco Product Directive with questionable content.
In many respects, e-cigarettes are equivalent to tobacco products – but e-cigarettes contain, or are known to use, no tobacco at all.
These obvious deficiencies have now prompted a Europe-wide campaign to advocate a prejudice-free, evidence-based and differentiated regulation of e-cigarettes, in which, in addition to technical differences, above all the health consequences between vaping and smoking are to be more clearly identified.
The French Council for Economic, Social and Environmental Affairs (CESE) recognizes excessive caution on the part of the authorities in the structural equal treatment of e-cigarettes and tobacco products and complains about its slowing effect on the use of e-cigarettes as a promising tool for smoking cessation.
The strategy of the “Vaping is not Tobacco” campaign therefore poses the critical question why European institutions and governments have continued to treat e-cigarette products as tobacco products, sometimes against better knowledge.
The campaign also attributes the reasons for this political and legal confusion to misleading research and uncritical reporting in the media.
So far, European regulators have missed the opportunity to convince millions of smokers to switch to vaping products for the benefit of their health. Public health would possibly even be burdened with billions of euros in societal costs.
Systematically discriminated against e-cigarettes in media coverage?
A current scientific study by the Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research at the University of Hamburg also found information on health improvements after switching from conventional tobacco products to e-cigarettes to be found in the media coverage. The population was not informed enough or not at all about these positive aspects of the e-cigarette. Study participants complained that reports and discussions were not objective, factual and supported by facts, but that false reports, incorrect interpretations of study results, speculations and vague assumptions were published.
The reporting is so often experienced as “the demonization of e-cigarettes” or as “smear campaigns against e-cigarettes”. This critical reflection of the reporting on the part of the study participants arouses the suspicion of a targeted influence on the public through the dissemination or withholding of information. This creates the impression that the personal experiences of e-cigarette users are not respected. It is therefore important to them that smokers in particular are informed about various options for using e-cigarettes and a fact-based comparison of opportunities and risks compared to conventional tobacco consumption. The current campaign “Vaping is not Tobacco” also takes these supposed deficiencies as an occasion and is aimed at the estimated 17 million active vapers in Europe as well as at all citizens of the European Union who support evidence-based regulation. It is therefore called for more solidarity in order to convince the European regulatory authorities to fight the previous misinformation. There are restrictive rules for tobacco products that are incorrectly applied to e-cigarettes to eliminate. The online petition “European Citizens ‘Initiative (ECI)” initiated by a citizens’ committee is currently calling for more appropriate regulation of e-cigarettes under the motto “Let’s demand smarter vaping regulation” as part of the campaign. The online petition EBI is currently supported by international actors from Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and Romania. E-cigarette the undoubtedly healthier alternative
