The electronic cigarette will not be considered as a drug voted by a majority of parliamentarians (386 votes against 283) and can therefore continue to be sold in specialized shops or tobacconists.
The European Parliament will therefore have satisfied the demand of the e-cigarette pros who demonstrated this Monday, October 7 so that the electronic cigarette is not considered as an exclusive medicine and of the 10 doctors of the “Call for the medical recognition of the electronic cigarette” .
Indeed, the tobacco expert Philippe Presles, signatory of the “Appeal for the medical recognition of electronic cigarettes” insists on the importance of this decision. He recalls that “it is the combustion of tobacco that is dangerous for the health of smokers, not nicotine. The dangers of electronic cigarettes are infinitely less than those of tobacco, since their vapor does not contain carbon monoxide, tar or fine particles. The characteristics of the e-cigarette should always be compared with those of the conventional cigarette, and if doubts and debates persist about the perfect long-term safety of some of its components, they should be faced with the absolute certainty of the dangerousness of tobacco. In the meantime, we know that the electronic cigarette is less addictive than the classic cigarette and that it contributes to a rapid or gradual withdrawal from tobacco ”.
The e-cigarette an effective way to stop smoking
“Our goal is for the electronic cigarette to be recognized as an effective way to quit smoking and for our colleagues to be able to integrate it and offer it to their patients, as advocated by the report and expert opinion on the e-cigarette of The French Office for the Prevention of Smoking, published in May 2013. What we want, and which corresponds to France’s official position, is for the system to remain free in Europe and favorable to research ”.
According to the European Parliament, warning messages should cover 65% of the surface of cigarette packs. The mark will therefore only appear at the bottom of the package. While “fine” cigarettes can continue to be sold, flavored cigarettes will be banned, and “mentholWill have an eight-year reprieve after the law is promulgated. This text has yet to be submitted to the representatives of the 28 member states.
