The health hazards presented by tobacco have long been established and acknowledged, and most countries have adopted strategies to encourage existing smokers to quit and limit the number of people taking up the habit. It would be fair to say that if the cigarette was presented as a new product today, it would fail to gain approval from the responsible agencies. Yet manufacturers of its high-tech cousin, the e-cigarette, are increasing their lobbying efforts to have their product approved in markets including the UAE.
Electronic devices that allow users to inhale nicotine vapour rather than smoke in the traditional sense have been banned from import or sale in the UAE under a 2011 directive from the Ministry of Health. This is in line with the position of the World Health Organisation and other bodies who say the chemicals used in their manufacture may be unsafe. But vaping, as it is known, is legal in some countries and the devices are available on the black market elsewhere.
A recent review of scientific evidence on e-cigarettes by King’s College London and Queen Mary College, University of London, has reopened debate in the UK and beyond. The study suggests that vaping is 95 per cent safer than smoking cigarettes, leading to the argument from the pro-vaping lobby that there would be better health outcomes if smokers were to switch to e-cigarettes. It may, they say, even help people quit altogether.
Officials here have, rightly, taken a cautious approach when it comes to smoking. In recent years, tobacco use has been banned in public places such as shopping malls, and there are tight controls on shisha. These moves are based on sound science. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the UAE, and the majority of patients are smokers. Smoking is also linked to range of preventable diseases.
Any change to the law to allow e-cigarettes needs to be very carefully considered and based on conclusive data. The health of the nation is at stake.
