In the South East Asian regional meeting of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), held in India in July 2013, all the participating nations backed India's proposal for a total ban on ECs to prevent adverse impact on human health. This is in line with obligations under Article 5.2(b) of the WHO FCTC to prevent and reduce nicotine addiction.
The Union released a position statement on e-cigarettes at the 44th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Paris on 2 November 2013, strongly supporting the regulation of the manufacture, marketing and sale of ECs. In case their regulation as medicines is not feasible, the Union has proposed a comprehensive ban on their: advertising, promotion and sponsorship; sale to minors; use in public/work places; display in retail stores; promotion for tobacco cessation; use of flavours that appeal to children. It also wants consumer safety standards for EC cartridges to be established, including ensuring manufacturing consistency and regulating the maximum quantity/dosage of nicotine they may contain.
Also more worrying is the fact that ECs come in attractive colours and flavours like chocolate, mint, lemon, menthol, vanilla, candy, bubble gum, etc., with appealing names such as Mocha Madness, Cotton Candy, Bourbon, Cowboy and Cuban Supreme. They could be a potential gateway to new smokers, particularly among teenagers and in emerging/foreign markets, according to behavioural scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre. Scientists and medical professionals, meanwhile caution that long-term health effects of electronic cigarettes are unknown as yet. (CNS)
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