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It smells of far away smoke. That's what my seatmate on the plane knows by herself. She does not get away from the cigarettes, she says, just after she sits down. She sees it as a nurse constantly: "The tilting make people sick." But her nicotine addiction is stronger. Whether she has tried it with e-cigarettes? "No, too dangerous," she says firmly. "Who knows what's in there."
At the moment, this phrase is often heard in Germany. Many smokers do not dare switch to e-cigarettes, although nearly all researchers agree that they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Worse, apparently, thousands of German steamships will be switching back to tobacco in these weeks for fear of harming their health. Some will pay for it with their lives.
Reports of deaths from the United States unjustifiably unsettle
Panic is spreading - among consumers and among politicians. The turnover figures of local e-cigarette dealers break down by 30, 40 and 50 percent respectively. Because for weeks come from the US news about strange deaths and lung disease of people who had previously steamed. Something, mind you. Often the sufferers had inhaled by their devices even mixed or bought on the black market liquids: tinged with chemicals such as vitamin E acetate or THC oil.
Some politicians do not stop that from launching a sweeping attack on e-cigarettes. India's government, for example, completely banished her. A number of US states have imposed sweeping sales bans, and Donald Trump wants to ban flavored e-cigarettes across the country.
As for the protection of young people who come to the consumption of nicotine only by e-cigarettes, this may be useful. Otherwise this is above all actionism. Because so far there is no proof that one of the dead steamers would have died in the consumption of such a liquor with mango or coffee taste. By comparison, almost no one talks about banning conventional cigarettes. Nearly all scientific studies show that they are much more dangerous than the electronic versions.
It's been around two months since the first reports of the mysterious lung diseases came up. 36 deaths have since become known - each one is sad. But during those two months, in the US, around 80,000 people have died from the effects of tobacco smoking. Among them are about 7000 non-smokers. Innocent people who need to breathe the air polluted by smokers. A scandal.
Tobacco is the bigger evil
Of course, e-cigarettes are not healthy. But tobacco is by far the bigger evil. It rarely kill Marlboros, Camels or Luckies spectacular. But tremendously effective. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least eight million people die each year from tobacco smoking - more than thirteen times more deaths than from all illicit drugs combined.
At least 90 high-probability carcinogenic substances contains the poison cocktail, many are caused by the burning. The aerosol of e-cigarettes does not contain so many dangerous pollutants. Because nothing burns here.
No question - nicotine makes you dependent, e-cigarettes damage your health. And there are no studies on their long-term consequences. The legislator must do everything possible to keep young people away.
On the other hand, e-cigarettes can help millions of smokers get away from deadly tobacco. In addition, German steamers must fear no abstruse chemicals in the liquid. The EU tobacco product line bans manufacturers from all sorts of potentially harmful ingredients, including THC oil and vitamin E acetate. In some US states, however, there were loopholes.
This shows that all legal drugs have to be regulated. But differentiated please, according to danger. Much more useful than bans on sales of e-cigarettes are measures that reduce tobacco smoking.
It is high time that Germany finally decides to ban poster advertising for conventional cigarettes - as the last state of the EU. The CDU, which has hitherto with all its might prevented, is now working on a bill. It is said that outdoor advertising for tobacco cigarettes will be banned in the future. For e-cigarettes manufacturers should continue to advertise - but only if the bill is aimed at already nicotine addicted adults.
And if the state informs willing smokers then exactly about the risks and opportunities, my seat neighbor may one day also electrify.
