28 Feb 14 - Wordpress - E-Cigarettes and the ‘Civilising’ of Smoking

[Anjaffm]

28 Feb 14 - Wordpress - E-Cigarettes and the ‘Civilising’ of Smoking

E-Cigarettes and the ‘Civilising’ of Smoking | Figurati

Long but great article, on the history of smoking, on e-cigs and on the dangers of over-regulating them

Scroll down to "Physical or Social Safety"

The key point here is that it is not the delivery mechanism that determines whether any particular device or substance constitutes a therapy or a drug, but, ultimately, how these are understood and used by users: the social uses of tobacco, and the social context of that use.

From the little that we know about the long-term effects of e-cigarettes, there is few who would question that they are much, much safer than their combustible counterparts: if e-cigarettes are dangerous in the longer-term, it is likely that NRTs will be too. E-cigarettes have the advantage, from a user’s perspective, of mimicking some of the ritualistic aspects of smoking – the so-called hand-to-mouth pattern, and, of course, emulate the symbolism of smoking through vapour. They currently do not have the stigma of a therapy, and it is precisely because they are not sanitised, not associated with illness and recovery, and are perhaps even glamorous, that for some users, they are a far more appealing alternative to combustible tobacco than NRTs. In other words, some of the arguments about the glamorisation of e-cigarettes can be turned on their heads, at least in this key respect.

There is an even more radical possibility here, one that is perhaps unsayable in policy circles. But if it is the case that e-cigarettes are, on the whole, not that much more harmful than, say, drinking coffee, then might it be appropriate to accept that certain social groups should be permitted to ‘vape’ without them having the intention of ever stopping?

About the Tobacco Products Directive that was just voted on in Europe and its probable consequences:

The threat posed to large pharmaceutical firms who produce NRTs also proportionally diminishes on two fronts – first as competition from e-cigarettes in the recreational space is reduced, and secondly because the somewhat perverse symbiosis between combustible tobacco and NRTs (the ‘drug’ which underpins demand for ’therapies’ – which are treated as a different class of ‘thing’) becomes restored.

This is a long article. But at least the part starting with "E-Cigarettes" is very much worth reading. [h=2][/h]