E-CIG BANS - Solving a Problem that doesn't Exist

Fifty years after the historic 1964 Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health actually linked smoking to lung cancer for the first time, the U.S. is still experiencing the deaths of over 400,000 Americans due to smoking related illnesses each year. With technology being such a pivotal part of society, it’s disappointing to see such strong resistance to a breakthrough product that could possibly improve these sad statistics.

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THE FACTS WE KNOW:

1. Over 43 million Americans smoke.

2. Americans buy more than 13 billion packs of cigarettes each year.

3. In the United States, the average cigarette tax is $1.53 per pack.

4. In 2014, $24.9 billion is expected to be received by the United States as a result of tobacco taxes.

5. Tobacco use costs the U.S. more than $133 billion in direct medical care & more than $156 billion in lost productivity each year.

6. Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death in the U.S., killing over 1,200 people per day.

7. People who attempt to quit smoking without professional help are approximately 60% more likely to report success if they use an e-cigarette, rather than over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies or willpower alone.

So why do people want to ban e-cigarettes?

E-cigarettes are a technological breakthrough used by thousands of people all over the world as an alternative to smoking, and more importantly, as a satisfying tool that supports their efforts to quit. With worldwide tobacco sales totaling over $330 billion each year, the tobacco industry is one of the world’s most profitable industries in existence today. As e-cigarettes continue to rise in popularity, the e-cig industry also becomes a bigger threat to the abundance of money attached to tobacco. With practically limitless financial resources, Big Tobacco willingly funds “Anti-Ecig” campaigns and pays lobbyists to promote their efforts in eliminating the technology they’re up against. When you consider these points, in addition to the fact that government officials stand to lose billions in tobacco tax revenue each year, the reasons for pushback become very clear.

The FDA and CDC both strive to have the American society enjoy healthy, smoke-free lives and have set goals to achieve a societal reduction in smoking overall. Vaping, provided the potential benefits are actually acknowledged, is a direct avenue to achieve exactly what the FDA and CDC are striving for. Since e-cigarettes are battery operated and require zero combustion to take place, they do not produce any smoke at all. However, without conclusive case studies to outline the affects of vaping over a 10, 20 or even 30 year period - the FDA and CDC will not budge on their stance against e-cigs. Which leaves Big Tobacco with plenty of time to continue their mission of defeating the e-cigarette industry while simultaneously allowing the population to continue suffering from smoking related illnesses.

Since the production of new technology can’t be stopped, and so many people around the world long to find a better alternative, it’s clear that the e-cigarette industry is here to stay. So for ourselves, our families, and for our future generations, we must hold our appointed officials accountable to their required Oath Of Office. Promising to support and defend the U. S. Constitution, which begins with “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America,” it’s necessary that our appointed officials ask themselves one simple question. How does banning e-cigarettes based on a current lack of understanding, or before exploring their potential, “promote the general welfare”?

We have to place public health before financial interests of Big Tobacco.

Please Note: All of the documents referred to, and the facts stated within this article are highlighted above and serve as active links to the original source that the information was attained from. To continue your reading, or to verify the information presented by assessing source credibility, simply click on any one of the links relating to the topic or area of interest. In addition, when clicked above, Fact #7 redirects to an article published on the University College London website which highlights research results. The research itself, including study methods and results, can be viewed in its entirety by clicking here.