US Surgeon General Warns “E-cigarettes Pose Major Risks”

The U.S. Surgeon General called surging e-cigarette use by children and young adults “a major public health concern” and recommended increased regulation and taxation of the products in a report set to be released today

US Surgeon General Warns “E-cigarettes Pose Major Risks”

Public Health England (PHE), Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and the Royal College of Physicians all seem extraordinarily out of step with the World Health Organisation and, according to a new study reported in The Wall Street Journal, The US Surgeon General.

Is the UK out of step?

Viewing the UK anti-tobacco establishment’s wholesale, “all-in”, support for e-cigarettes I’m reminded of the mother, who when watching her son’s marching band, remarked to those around her “Look, the only one in step is my son!”.

As more and more evidence accumulates indicating that the use of e-cigarettes acts as a ‘gateway to smoking’ for youngsters, PHE & ASH will no doubt continue to claim that there is “insufficient evidence to support that view”. Their policy on e-cigarettes is based on theory and opinion rather than science, and it is surely only a matter of time before they have to amend their stance. They risk being exposed as the ‘King Canute’ of the global anti-tobacco community as a ‘tsunami wave’ of youth nicotine addiction seems set to sweep away the progress made by advertising bans, smoking bans, and plain packaging legislation.

Big Tobacco & Big Pharma Win

Add to that, the fact that many adult users of e-cigarettes continue to smoke normal cigarettes, and therefore miss out on any harm reduction aspect of vaping, and you have the perfect storm; Public Health England and ASH seemingly aiding and abetting the tobacco industry and pharmaceutical industry in tightening their grip on current nicotine addicts as well as the next generation of addicts…our children.

The fact that flavours of e-cigarettes include bubblegum, gummy bear, and candyfloss/cotton candy make them far more attractive to youngsters and common sense alone would lead most people to identify that as a serious risk.

The Wall Street Journal reports “The U.S. Surgeon General called surging e-cigarette use by children and young adults “a major public health concern” and recommended increased regulation and taxation of the products in a report set to be released Thursday.

Some groups, including industry advocates and the Royal College of Physicians in the U.K., have argued that e-cigarettes should be promoted as a means to help adults quit smoking conventional cigarettes.

The surgeon general’s report, by contrast, highlights the risks of nicotine exposure to young people. Those risks include mood disorders, deficits in attention and cognition, and addiction to nicotine that could lead to the use of traditional cigarettes, according to the report.”

US Surgeon General’s Warning

The US Surgeon General’s report states that e-cigarettes have become the most commonly-used tobacco product among middle school and high-school students.

“We have to ensure that they are not an avenue by which kids are addicted to nicotine,” US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in an interview Wednesday.

Read more about ‘How to Stop Smoking’

Read more about ‘How to Stop Vaping’

Read the Wall Street Journal’s feature on US Surgeon General’s Report

From the desk of John Dicey, Worldwide CEO & Senior Therapist, Allen Carr’s Easyway

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