E-cigarettes: relax rules to help more smokers quit, say MPs

MPs have called for a relaxation of regulations relating to electronic cigarettes—including those covering advertising, licensing, and product formulation—to encourage more people to stop smoking.1

A report from the Science and Technology Committee, which is likely to spark controversy, reiterates Public Health England’s claim that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes.2 This claim has been disputed by some experts because it relies on a single study, some of whose authors had potential conflicts of interest.345

The select committee’s report says that the risk among smokers of continuing to use conventional cigarettes is greater than the uncertainty over long term use of e-cigarettes. It finds no evidence that e-cigarettes are a significant gateway to conventional smoking, including …