Scientists call on people to quit electronic cigarettes
Published on March 24, 2009 8:15 AM
During a special press-conference held on Wednesday afternoon, Hong Kong's Department of Health officials urged smoking community to resist the massive PR attack directed on them by manufacturers and distributors of electronic buy cigarettes and not to use electronic cigarettes since their safety, efficiency, quality and ability to become smoking cessation or replacement therapies is not scientifically proved and has to be established by numerous peer-reviewed investigations and analysis.
A spokesman for the Department of Health declared Wednesday that initial rigorous laboratory analysis on an electronic cigarette sample revealed that it contained shots of nicotine.
The spokesman also stated that in compliance with the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, the so-called electronic cigarettes delivering nicotine and advertised as smoking cessation devices should be classified as pharmaceutical products requiring registration in Hong Kong.
The department collaborated with local police and raided a shop in Sham Shui Po earlier on Wednesday, where they had seized nine types of electronic cigarettes which were illegally sold there.
Moreover, Department of Health has insisted that all the sellers have to remove all the advertisements and promotional materials concerning electronic cigarette features and description from their websites otherwise they would be legally punished.
The spokesman said manufacturing, possession or distribution of an unregistered pharmaceutical product like it was in the case with electronic cigarettes, and possession of Part I poisons without authority approval, were both subjected to conviction to a 100,000 HK dollars (about 12,820 U.S. dollars) fine and two year prison term.
He urged people who have been using electronic cigarettes in public places to give up using them immediately.
He cited World Health Organization officials who also recently made a statement where they underlined that there was no scientific evidence that they have been healthier and safer alternatives to common cigarettes what could put many people at risk.
Electronic cigarette is a new trend and there is a growing deficiency of knowledge in relation of cigarettes. WHO officials have also declared that they had not made any researches on proving that the e-cigarettes are healthy and effective nicotine alternative or smoking cessation therapy.
