Prime time for e-cigarettes in Ireland
Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at 11:01 
Ireland is waking up to e-cigarettes.
This morning the Irish Times asks, 'Is vaping safer than smoking?'.
Intellicig (part of the CN Creative Group, "a bioscience company committed to the development of the next era of nicotine products") reports that:
The phones are hopping on Liveline, Joe Duffy can’t believe the amount of people calling him to tell their stories of how they made the switch to electronic e-cigarettes … E-cigs are fast becoming the alternative of choice for many smokers throughout Ireland.
Last night Prime Time, RTE's flagship current affairs programme, even featured a debate on the subject.
Guests included Kathleen O'Meara of the Irish Cancer Society, someone representing the pharmacists (I'll have to check his name and organisation), and Clive Bates, former director of ASH and a leading e-cig campaigner, on a link from London.
John Mallon, our man in Ireland, reports:
They played a tape of a doctor claiming that e-cigs are a stepping stone to smoking, that far from quitting smokers are using both to get around the bans and restrictions, and that no research has been done into them.
Bates wiped the floor with him, explaining we know EXACTLY what goes into them and that they are 99-100 per cent safer than smoking. He went on to suggest that the big loser was Big Pharma.
Credit where credit's due, "Bates was good!" says John. O'Meara however was "quieter than normal".
Meanwhile, in the words of Intellicig, here are some reasons for switching to e-cigarettes:
• Significantly less harmful chemicals compared to smoking cigarettes
• Much cheaper. Save up to 80%.
• Smoke anywhere
• No need to smell like an ashtray
• No tobacco or no smoke tar
• Cleaner smoking experience
"No need to smell like an ashtray"? Charming. I know lots of smokers and none of them smell like ashtrays.
If the e-cig industry could cut out these unnecessary comments it would help them enormously, I would suggest. Politely.
One other thing. In my previous post I highlighted the fact that e-cig campaigners want e-cigarettes removed from the Tobacco Products Directive.
Perfectly understandable.
Then again, the e-cig industry doesn't help itself by consistently using words like "smoke" ("smoke anywhere") and "smoking" ("cleaner smoking experience") to promote itself.
I understand why they do it but it's a bit rich to use the language of combustibles and then complain when the product is included in legislation designed to regulate combustibles.
They can't have it both ways.
PS. To view the Prime Time debate click here. It begins at 13:32.
The other guest in Prime Time's Dublin studio was the Secretary-General of the Irish Pharmacy Union. Needless to say, both he and O'Meara were in favour of medicinal regulation for e-cigs.
Reader Comments (9)
I saw the debate - most interesting.E-cigs are an unstoppable force and anyone with genuine concern for Public Health would support them. The argument that "We don't know what's in them " is fatuous - we do. As a COPD and asthma sufferer my switch from smoking (which I enjoyed) to e-cigs is the best thing I ever did - I've had four trouble-free years! Wonder why they had to have a Pharma guy on the discussion when prescribed drugs, his stock-in-trade, are said to be the third biggest killer after cancer and heart disease. A bit like having a serial-killer on a discussion about Care in the Community!
After 40 years of smoking I tried the E-Cigarette. It was one of those look like a cigarette types. It was promising. Yet, it didn't really help me quit. I had early stages of COPD, and though I liked to smoke, every common cold turned into a very bad bout of bronchitus and the wheezing was an everynight occurence when retiring to bed. I got curious again and did a google search on Electronic Cigarettes, the refill cartridges of the brand I had first bought were expensive and I had to agree to shipments and charges every month on my credit card. I wasn't to happy about that, so I searched the internet. This was after a year of trying the first one. Up came so many links I was dizzy about what to click on. I started reading that people were really quitting and enjoying many brands. I finally found someone to talk to about it and he suggested that I try an unknown brand that I could adjust my nicotine and flavors. I did and from that day forward, I was beginning to realize that smoking was becoming less and less desirable to me. I continued to learn more and read more about what was available and found forums, such as e-cigarette-forum.com. I began using 24mg. nicotine strength and vanilla flavoring. I barely wanted to smoke anymore. Everytime I smoked, three puffs and the taste was so horrible and the burning smoke so irritating. I would put it out! For another year I continued to reduce my smoking by 80% and growing. I started to read more about what others more successful than I at quitting were using and purchased better equipment and tried other flavors. I made up my mind not to buy cigarettes, just to see if I could be secure without them. I was fine for months. I really quit. I then rejoined a friend who still smoked and that was a mistake, I picked up smoking again, but the same intolerable reaction was speaking to me. I kept vaping and removed the person from my personal life. I rarely smoked. About three years into it, August 2013, I took my last puff of real smoke and haven't had the desire or temptation to smoke since. I consider myself to be success for quitting a life long smoking dependency.. I still use nicotine, and I am still enjoying all that smoking was without SMOKE! I am not going to throw the first stone at others who are over-weight, how are addicted to exercise, TV, alcohol, drugs or sex. I am proud of myself for finally stopping what was killing me slowly, that was smoking. I think 20 million are doing the same thing worldwide, it's a process, for some who find the better e-cigarettes right away, they have quit instantly others are gradually quitting. It's a miracle and it could close the chapter on a blight that has harmed so many people for far too long. JUST BECAUSE IT RESEMBLES SMOKING DOESN'T MEAN IT IS! Stop throwing the baby out with the bath water. My testamony is just one of 20 Million stories that Kathleen O'Meara denies we exists. Do we have to march in the streets, have a civil war to prove we exist, we won't be bullied back to smoking and we won't be denied our rights, or taxed to death, we are helping humanity and everyone around us. Stop standing in the way of Tobacco Harm Reduction, stop spreading lies for your ties to big money interests.
The ecig industry doesn't use the language of combustibles, other than the cigalike sector and that segment is courting the tobacco companies investment cash.
But your right using 'smoke' and 'cigarette' as ways to promote PV was a bad move, inherited from the tobacco products that they sought to displace.
The two anti e-cig commentators are on the back foot and their smug smirks made them look even more stupid. This is the tobacco control industry facing its nemesis and they know it. I have seldom heard such utter crap spoken by people of undeserved influence and it's time that the politicians stopped listening to them and positively backed the development of e-cigs.
Indeed, e-cigs are not marketed as a smoking cessation device but as an alternative to smoking, but, they are a great alternative because they actually work (I'm saying this as a former heavy smoker). As for the mealy-mouthed "but they are helping people to remain addicted to nicotine", so what? If an addiction does one no harm then who damn well cares? Moreover, what does NRT contain? Nicotine! So these people are hypocrites and particularly so when their poxy NRT doesn't work properly at all. For the most part, people just waste money buying patches and gum before they eventually realise they're largely a waste of time!
"No need to smell like an ashtray"
Strange, is it not? I have been smoking all my adult life and I have never been tempted to sniff ashtrays. Is it a trait specific to Tobacco Control Zealots, that they enjoy sniffing ashtrays?
@Lisa Belle - I'm intriigued that you successfully quit until the mere company of a friend smoking lured you back to the evil weed. If vaping was preferable to smoking why didn't you just carry on vaping while s/he smoked rather than setting about losing a friend?
Sometimes friends come to forks in the road and each must stay on the path that speaks to them. I only smoked a little again, but like I said it tasted so bad and the coughing and COPD symptoms were laying in wait. I must never really return to smoking after 40 years, I have irrepairable damage to my lungs, but thankfully, with almost 4 years of mostly vaping, I am healing and riding a bicycle for 30 miles at a stretch. Not bad for how old I won't say I am LOL.
Simon, you've captured perfectly how smokers feel about the hypocrisy in the vaper movement.
Lisa, I'm pleased you found salvation in ecigs but smokers really are fed up of being blamed for other people's weaknesses and being the butt of their failures.
I'm not an athlete but I can still run and ride a cycle after 46 years of smoking. If and when the summer comes that I can't do either anymore, then I might be tempted by ecigs. However, I certainly wouldn't be so mean as to distance myself from anyone who still enjoyed the culture of smoking..
My husband quit smoking four months ago after 20 years, just like that. No NRT, no ecigs, he just didn't want to smoke anymore so he didn't. He hasn't changed one bit in his attitude towards his friends who smoke.
I find the tolerant non smokers and vapers are those who quit because they really wanted to. The intolerant and bitter non smokers and vapers are those who really didn't want to quit smoking but had to for health, peer pressure or financial reasons.
Have we all seen the new NJoy advertising campaign that comes with the strapline "Friends Don't Let Friends Smoke" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAOYFpSjDBY#t=45)?