As part of the broadcast of the program " Questions to the front page »On RTBF, which broadcast a report on electronic cigarettes, a Belgian daily decided to make an update with Frederic Ries, the former RTL journalist, now a European parliamentarian.
THE HEALTH COMMISSION IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HAS CONTACTS WITH GSK
What are your arguments to support the sale of this product?
Above all, I defend the health and well-being of Europeans. As a member of the Health Committee in the European Parliament, I was made rapporteur on the Tobacco Products Directive. I met smokers, doctors, tobaccologists, pulmonologists and I came to the conclusion that it helps to get out of the tobacco trap that kills every second smoker.
But with this object, we keep the memory of the gesture. Habit that is part of the addiction ...
We must not kid ourselves. One cannot quit smoking by force of will alone with all the additives present in tobacco. Or cut yourself off overnight from all the sensations that cigarettes provide. If there is a transient weaning period that involves having this item in hand, why delete it?
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But, are we sure that the e-cigarette liquids are harmless to health?
I read all the studies, being very vigilant at their source. We often discover that this or that scientist at their base is linked to a lobby, often a pharmaceutical lobby that sells chewing gum, patches, spray, direct competitors products in the weaning aid and therefore have not interest in the e-cigarette being expanded. In any case, the latest studies affirm the safety of these liquids. Perhaps in the long term, science, which evolves, will have to revise this thesis. In any case, these substances could not be one thousandth as dangerous as those in tobacco. Which contains, him, 4.000 toxic substances, of which 60 carcinogens pure and hard. If there is progress to be made, they are in the order of the security of the device. I myself have tabled amendments so that the cap can not be opened by children.
The RTBF report points to the fashion of "vaping", which leads to the consumption of non-smokers. A perverse effect, right?
To prevent this from becoming a collateral damage, we have set limits in the European directive. As forbidden chewing gum flavors, cotton candy. It is now up to the health authorities of each Member State to adapt the directive and to be unstoppable on the subject in order to avoid its attractiveness for minors.
Precisely on January 17 the application in Belgian law of the European directive came into force. Legislation that will kill the world of electronic cigarettes, according to this sector. True ?
I understand the anger of this community, the only stakeholder who has not been heard in all the consultations made by the Commission in its preparatory work for the directive. But when we know the negative prism that animated both the European and the governmental authorities of each country who spoke about it as if the electronic cigarette was the enemy to be cut down and not the tobacco, we limited the damage. The first Commission text sent the electronic cigarette in prison. I had evidence of email exchanges between the Commission and GSK, a big manufacturer of weaning products, who submitted text proposals to him. It is certain that the Commission has been in constant contact with pharmaceutical lobbies in the drafting of this part of the e-cigarette directive.
Have you been approached by these lobbies?
You know that lobbyists are ignoring parliamentarians. In this way, they know who will slam the door in their noses or open their arms. I'm red flashing so I'm intractable! So, no, they did not approach me.
Source : Cinetelerevue.be
