Should Electronic Cigarettes be Regulated as a Medicine?

[AllenKobe]

Should Electronic Cigarettes be Regulated as a Medicine? Like the Nicotrol Inhaler or the Nicotine Patches and Gums?

What would happen? Would things be any better if ecigs were regulated as a medicine/smoking cessession product rather than being regulated as a tobacco product?

 

[Silver]

This is a complex topic @AllenKobe and a great question I suppose we could debate for days on end

Personally, i think the e-liquids just need to be regulated to the point that there is a minimum level of safety in their ingredients. But i know it is easier said than done.

The more regulation and taxes, the more expensive and less choice we will have. Regulation will favour fewer larger companies.

There needs to be a balance.

 

[free3dom]

The problem with regulation is, as @Silver pointed out, cost. Currently we have very good self regulation in this industry, which I think is a side effect of it having a very vocal and passionate community. The first sign of someone doing anything silly and it blows up (on the interwebs ) - this shames the companies and the comply or fix their blunders, or face being shunned. Of course this does not cover the casual user who might buy something from a bad vendor and be none the wiser until they get into trouble.

It's such a difficult situation because" it's damned if you do and damned if you don't". I'm very torn on this particular subject. I think the ideal would be some very streamlined and lightweight regulatory process which should be very affordable and expedient - otherwise, like so many industries before it, innovation may suffer greatly.

Unfortunately, I just don't see the regulators doing anything different than they have before and we may indeed face this exact problem. You'd think they would have learned their lesson about setting the bar high and only allowing a small number of large corporations run the entire thing (looking at you, Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, etc).

 

[johan]

After reading @free3dom's posting, a forum is enough regulation for me; a bad product will always float on a forum in some way or the other, and if the supplier don't rectify properly, he will hang himself in no time. In essence a forum like this, brings balance as well as good regulation, although informal yet very effective, but thats just my opinion.

 

[AllenKobe]

This is a complex topic @AllenKobe and a great question I suppose we could debate for days on end

Personally, i think the e-liquids just need to be regulated to the point that there is a minimum level of safety in their ingredients. But i know it is easier said than done.

The more regulation and taxes, the more expensive and less choice we will have. Regulation will favour fewer larger companies.

There needs to be a balance.

What you say is very reasonable. I think it need more system to regulate. More problem will be solved finally.