Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/550307
The enjoyment of tobacco has traditionally always enriched people's senses all over the world. The harmonious interplay of sensory created by Hertz & Selck. Progress and tradition going hand in hand. www.hertz-selck.de Hertz & Selck GmbH & Co. | P.O. Box 20 16 64 | 20206 Hamburg-Germany Tel. +49 [0]40-43 25 76-0 | Fax +49 [0]40-43 25 76-50 | info@hertz-selck.de taste the art of taste the art of live live feels like a recipe for disaster. What vaping pro- ponents need to remember is that the alterna- tive is almost certain to be much worse. While the FDA is not currently moving to ban sale, advertising or the wide array of flavors used in the vapor, history has taught us that regulators and lawmakers are almost guaranteed to push for tougher and tougher legislation in the future. Many countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Taiwan have already moved to a total ban on e-cigarettes and vap- ing products, while others have instituted a two- tier system where e-cigarettes and nicotine-free cartridges may be sold, but nicotine-containing refills are prohibited, rendering the most impor- tant reason to use e-cigs – as a great way to wean people off tobacco – completely moot. Because the truth of the matter is, respon- sible e-cigarette manufacturers – as well as retailers – should have nothing to fear from even the most strongly-worded legislation, if it is fair, even-handed and properly written. Af- ter all, it is universally true that nobody wants to put people, least of all children, in harm's way. When it comes to innovative products that have been on the market for a relatively short time, caution is perfectly understandable, so more studies would benefit both consum- ers (by providing health and safety data) and manufacturers (who will then have a much bet- ter idea if they might face a barrage of law suits 10-15 years down the line). What is remarkable, though, is that the FDA not only wants to ban the sale of e-cig- arettes to minors (again, perfectly understand- able, since we'd rather err on the side of caution when it comes to kids), or require approval for new products (which is already a tad strange given how little we currently know about their effects), but it will also mandate the use of health warning labels on such products. To quote Erika Sward from the American Lung Association: "The bottom line is that we don't know what the short, or the long, term health consequences of e-cigarette use is." And in lies the 5-billion-dollar question: If we just don't know, then what possible warnings could we place on electronic cigarette products? Be- cause, let us agree, "We have no idea what this product will do to you" just does not sound like a very credible warning. And while we're at it, here is another ques- tion that comes to mind: why are e-cigarettes users increasingly being treated like people who have a communicable disease? These public health concerns have already resulted in several states and over 100 US cities and counties ban- ning the use of e-cigarettes in the same areas where smoking tobacco is forbidden, and many US states also prohibit the use of electronic