In an interview proposed by the site « Atlantico.fr", Françoise Grossetête, MEP from 1994 and EPP Group Vice-President in the European Parliament talks about the e-cigarette and the EU Tobacco Directive that will be applied from the 20 May.
Atlantic : What are the main points to remember from the European directive on electronic cigarettes which is about to be applied? How would it be binding for e-cigarette users?
Françoise Grossetête: This directive will not come into force until May 20, but it was adopted in 2014. Discussions took place long before. Regarding the e-cigarette, we wondered a lot about its status when we drafted this directive. In the end, we had not really decided on the issue of its status, between the drug and the tobacco product. It therefore has a specific status of related product. It was not very glorious, I was not really satisfied because we had not been able to decide.
The directive, which will come into force on May 20, stipulates that the nicotine level of electronic cigarettes must be limited to 20 mg / ml so that it can remain over the counter. In addition, the sale will be prohibited to minors.
Any communication or advertising on electronic cigarettes will also be prohibited. Likewise, and this is the subject of much criticism from traders, shop windows must be opaque, so as not to encourage the use and purchase of electronic cigarettes.
Finally, the capacity of the electronic cigarette tanks will also be limited to 2ml, in order to avoid too intensive vaping.
Among the measures announced, the ban on advertising on the radio, television or in newspapers for electronic cigarette manufacturers. Likewise, the content of the stores 
electronic cigarettes will no longer be visible from the outside to passers-by. Isn't that excessive, when the “traditional” tobacconists ostensibly display the nature of their business?
We can indeed all ask the question. There may be a “double standard” effect. When these arrangements were made, we were uncertain and ignorant of the consequences of using electronic cigarettes. We did not know if there were any health risks or for possible addiction. There was ultimately a great deal of caution, and I agree that this creates double standards, with tobacconists displayed freely (even with plain package legislation).
There are scientific expert opinions that have been given, but they sometimes differ. The French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction has published a study on the electronic cigarette claiming that since there is no combustion, it does not release any carcinogenic substance, carbon monoxide or tar.
Others assure that it depends a lot on the concentrations, because the flavored liquid bottles contain propylene glycol (a solvent), vegetable glycerin, addictives, nicotine at different concentration, etc.
When we know that the bottles of flavored liquids are not all produced in the same way and do not all have the same containers, we may wonder.
The National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety has specified that for concentrations below 20mg / 20ml, these substances can produce serious undesirable effects. Since these concentrations are small, the products are more concentrated and can therefore be more toxic. If an electronic cigarette falls into a child's hand at this time, there may be skin problems or even more serious concerns if swallowed.
The opinions are therefore a little divergent. It is not a product which appears excessively dangerous, but its use can cause undesirable effects.
Last April, the Royal College of Physicians, a prestigious British institution, published a highly commented report on the benefits of electronic cigarettes in the fight against the harmful effects of smoking. How to explain the gap between this report and the new measures taken by the EU? What is the share of responsibility of the cigarette manufacturers' lobbies in this affair?
Electronic cigarettes, indeed, can be a good way for a heavy smoker to try to move on and quit smoking.
But in the same way, a young person who will start to smoke with electronic cigarettes may also, little by little, feel encouraged by nicotine and all the addictive substances that are put in electronic cigarette bottles. It can also encourage one day to switch to “normal” cigarettes.
It can therefore in some cases be positive in trying to quit smoking, but also negative in other cases by encouraging people to go further.
During the debates on this European directive, I defended the position according to which the electronic cigarette, if it is considered in the same way as the patch as a means to stop smoking, should be considered as a medicine and be sold in pharmacies and not in tobacco shops or specialty stores. This position was unfortunately not followed, but I still think that would make it all clearer.
Finally, it should be noted that we are awaiting a report from the European Commission, supposed to arrive by the end of May, on the potential risks of the use of these rechargeable electronic cigarettes on public health. This report promises to be very interesting. As we were at the time in total ignorance on this subject, perhaps it can serve as a basis of work for the future.
Source : Atlantico.fr
