WHAT DISCUSSIONS ARE TAKING PLACE?

Against the backdrop that e-cigarettes could constitute a medicinal product following the adoption of the European Parliament's recast Tobacco Products Directive, studies have now been conducted on their efficacy for smoking cessation.

Indeed, medicinal products must either provide a proven benefit or be withdrawn from the market.

However, the two studies to date have found only a weak benefit for smoking cessation. 7.3 and 8.7 percent of subjects were still abstinent after six months and one year, respectively, putting them in almost the same range as the group tested with a placebo.

No serious side effects were observed in either study.

There has been sharp criticism from various quarters that the launch of electronic cigarettes in various countries has been made more difficult by regulatory authorities.

Electric cigarettes are essentially harmless to health, while the substances contained in tobacco smoke are responsible for the premature deaths of millions of tobacco users every year.

Some critics of the electric cigarette, on the other hand, expressed concern that it would make smoking more socially acceptable again and that young people in particular could use it as an easy introduction to tobacco use.