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50,000 Belgians use the e-cigarette
Belgium
11:38 28/08/2013
This year, an estimated 50,000 Belgians regularly use electronic cigarettes, or 2 percent of smokers. Last year, e-cigarette users accounted for just 0.2 percent of smokers, according to figures from the Cancer Foundation. In Belgium, users of products containing nicotine must respect the law on smoking. Technically, that means e-cigarettes, which also contain carcinogens and harmful metals, should be treated just like regular cigarettes and be banned from public places and cafes. However, since electronic cigarettes currently have the status of a medical drug in Belgium, they circulate illegally in the country and skirt the law.
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Excuse me but your article is factually incorrect and very misleading, especially your blanket claim that e-cigarettes 'also contain carcinogens and harmful metals'. That is simply false, as shown by all but one very flawed study conducted several years ago and that has subsequently been publicly debunked, with the traces found in that study being thousands of times lower than in cigarettes and effectively irrelevant to human health.
In fact e-cigarettes are receiving more and more support from medical organisations around the world as is easily verifiable on the internet.
When you say that e-cigarettes have the status of a medical drug in Belgium, I think you mean that 'nicotine' has the status of a medical drug, and that is because of the powerful pharmaceutical industry lobby here who stand to lose profits from their often ineffective patches, gums, and drugs.
However, the EU quite rightly stands behind the principle of 'the free movement of people & goods' within the EU, so there is absolutely no problem with ordering nicotine and e-cigarettes from the UK, FR, NL, DE, etc etc.
All completely legal of course - as is the circulation of my e-cigarette in and around the country - including restaurants and bars.
It would be gratifying to see the Bulletin opening up to both sides of this ongoing debate and do a piece on e-cigarettes and the benefits of harm reduction - including talking to users to hear their stories on this subject. They can be truly life-changing, believe me.
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Technically, that means e-cigarettes, which also contain carcinogens and harmful metals, should be treated just like regular cigarettes and be banned from public places and cafes. However, since electronic cigarettes currently have the status of a medical drug in Belgium, they circulate illegally in the country and skirt the law.