Regulation of electronic cigarettes
BMJ 2014; 349 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g5484 (Published 05 September 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g5484- John R Ashton, president
- 1UK Faculty of Public Health, 4 St Andrews Place, London NW1 4LB
- president{at}fph.org.uk
The World Health Organization statement on electronic nicotine delivery systems (electronic cigarettes)1 was met with apparent disagreement from both Public Health England (PHE) and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a UK public health charity.2 WHO, supported by many professional bodies,3 4 calls for regulations that impede the promotion of e-cigarettes, minimise their potential health risks, prohibit unproved health claims, and ban their use indoors. By contrast, PHE and ASH, which have been more positive about them, do not support a ban on their use indoors.
Many critics of WHO’s position are from the harm reduction community and see e-cigarettes as a useful contributor to tobacco control efforts. But these critics seem unable to decide whether e-cigarettes are a short term medical aid to quitting smoking or a …
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