E-cigarettes banned in WHO-ville

As it turns out, the World Health Organization (WHO) isn't condoning e-cigarette products -- shockingly -- as some manufacturers might like you to believe. In fact, the lawsuit flag is being waved at a few companies who brazenly plastered the organization's name and logo across promotional material, suggesting an endorsement of the product. The WHO's Douglas Bettcher asserts that the product is untested as a nicotine replacement therapy, stating, "If the marketers of the electronic cigarette want to help smokers quit, then they need to conduct clinical studies and toxicity analyses." So while e-cigs might not carry the same carcinogenic risks as traditional smoking, there are still plenty of health issues surrounding liquid nicotine and all the nasty additives it's served in... and the WHO isn't about to let you forget it.

[Via PhysOrg]

[Tom G @ Sep 20th 2008 4:09PM]

creepy, i was just looking at these then i loaded engadget to see them on the front page O_O

They are better than smoking, but should be used as an aid to help quit, not a "everyone can smoke now!" toy.

[absurdio @ Sep 20th 2008 11:48PM]

"better," here, is a synonym for "way, way lamer"

:p

[dzhiurgis @ Sep 21st 2008 6:19AM]

You must be an idiot to smoke anything.

[absurdio @ Sep 21st 2008 11:57AM]

@ dzhiurgis

Hm. Well. Fuck off.
Thanks for your thoughts!

[konshuss @ Sep 20th 2008 4:12PM]

i wonder if connecting it to your computer gives it cancer

[imacmatt09 @ Sep 20th 2008 4:12PM]

I like my cigarettes with arsenic and fiber glass.

[pt0ne @ Sep 20th 2008 4:26PM]

I like my mail with anthrax

[Flashpoint @ Sep 20th 2008 5:12PM]

eCigarettes will never be as good a product as iCigarettes.

Has anyone ever tried smoking rat poison?

[Colin Potter @ Sep 20th 2008 8:10PM]

I like my roadside explosive devices improvised? Too soon?

[ethana2 @ Sep 20th 2008 8:18PM]

I tried smoking fluxbox once, _never again_.

[absurdio @ Sep 20th 2008 11:49PM]

I like my cigarettes with menthol.

Oh, lord, am i ever gonna get low-ranked for this one...

[meist3r @ Sep 21st 2008 7:53AM]

I like to build my own cigarettes with special ingredients.
4:20 ftw!

[strider_mt2k @ Sep 20th 2008 4:17PM]

He looks pretty happy there.

Pass that to the left my friend...

[Yubastard @ Sep 20th 2008 6:15PM]

indeed, I was thinking the same!

[imacmatt09 @ Sep 20th 2008 7:27PM]

Maybe it's a THC cartridge instead of a nicotine one?

[Andrew @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:59AM]

I'll stick with my Marlboro Reds, atleast theres no controversy about whether or not they will kill me.

[Chris Are @ Sep 20th 2008 4:32PM]

"Teen smoking, our bread and butter, is falling like a ship from heaven. Cigarettes are cool and available and addictive- the job is almost done for us."

[Jamie M @ Sep 20th 2008 5:38PM]

Thank you for smoking.

[Colin Potter @ Sep 20th 2008 8:12PM]

J. Jonah Jameson??

[peter @ Sep 20th 2008 10:01PM]

What is this from? The google check failed!

[Jeremy @ Sep 20th 2008 4:56PM]

What kind of a lame-o would you have to be to "smoke" an "E-cigarette?"

Smokers are drug addicts plain and simple and drug addicts are addicts because they are *weak*.

Instead of using some high-tech crutch to assuage your *weak* personality, why not be a human being and muster up the strength to just quit? If you are too *weak* to quit cigarettes, I've got news for you ...

Life contains a lot of other stuff further down the road that's a *lot* harder. You might as well give up now if you're main problem is being too weak to stop your silly drug addiction.

[kriscolumbus @ Sep 20th 2008 5:12PM]

I take it you've never had an addiction. Something that would be hard for you might be bearable for someone else. Drug addiction is one of the hardest things to overcome. What's wrong with making quitting easier by gradually decreasing the nicotine? You say drug addicts are addicts because they are weak, and that's simply not true. Physical need for a drug can happen to ANYONE and has nothing to do with being psychologically dependent. You shouldn't comment on things you know nothing about.

[Jon Nelson @ Sep 20th 2008 5:23PM]

Sounds like you've never even touched a cigarette, let alone get addicted to them.

And as it sounds, you're probably not the most qualified person to comment on drug addiction.

[Jon Nelson @ Sep 20th 2008 5:27PM]

Blagh. Damned Engadget commenting didn't update before I posted my comment. Didn't mean to basically paraphrase what kriscolumbus said

[ethana2 @ Sep 20th 2008 8:21PM]

Yeah really, addictions aren't that simple, or they wouldn't be addictions, they'd just be habits. You don't have to be weak to be stuck in an addiction, but you certainly have to be strong to get out of one.

[peter @ Sep 20th 2008 10:05PM]

I've had addictions and they're extremely embarrassing. Was addicted to Alchohol until I imagined a world where it didn't exist. How simple to go without! Of course you do not need it. Same with pot. Same with tobacco.

It's embarrassing how simple it is to quit when you give it some thought. Don't tell me it's hard.

[peter @ Sep 20th 2008 10:08PM]

It's also established that it is very often easier to quit cold turkey with cigarettes. Throw your cigs away and take a vacation without smokes.

[Valicore @ Sep 20th 2008 10:22PM]

Oh addiction is because you're weak? Jesus Christ, do you have ANY medical background at ALL? No? I know that already. Benzodiazepines and Alcohol can both kill you if you quit cold turkey. The reason that quitting is so hard is that when your brain is bombarded with dopamine created by whatever it is you're addicted to, your dopamine receptors are overwhelmed (dopamine being the feel good chemical). The brain, being the amazing thing it is then creates more dopamine receptors so that the effects are spread across multiple receptors, therefore exponentially reducing the effect the same amount of drug has on you. Should you remove that extra dopamine input, your body starts pulling dopamine out of the receptors, which is extremely physically painful. In fact, the body comes to believe that the dopamine is necessary, and therefore sends a message out that it's going to die without more. This is why drug addicts will do anything for a fix, they're body is telling them they'll die without it. It's important to separate physical addiction from psychological addiction, especially because they're usually co-morbid.

[peter @ Sep 20th 2008 10:34PM]

Valicore,
You are talking about drugs far worse than cigs/pot/alchohol. You're talking about E and such. Yes. Illegal drugs (except marijuana) benefit greatly from alternatives and gradual withdrawl. Quitting alcohol will not kill you.

If anything the hardest part for these "soft" drugs is going against your addicted friends/relatives.

Severing ties (at least for a few months) over these addictions almost always works out for the better.

But yes. Crack, E, etc addicts: Seek medical help.

[Harrison @ Sep 21st 2008 1:20AM]

Would you, by any chance, vote Republican?

[Bad Beaver @ Sep 21st 2008 7:54AM]

Peter, delirium tremens might actually kill you and it's not pretty.

Funny thing is that, while Jeremy has a halfway valid point on the whole mental strength issue, whenever I am exposed to people droning in this way, after a few moments "Paranoid Android" kicks in full volume in my head. It's amazing.

[zoundzzz @ Nov 12th 2008 3:19PM]

If you think being addicted to cigarettes is fun wait until you get addicted to new electronics. I see this product being a TKO for some engadget readers...

[Jim @ Sep 20th 2008 4:56PM]

The e-cigarette has helped me cut down on my smoking a lot. There is a company in the US that markets them now (www.njoy.com). It used to be that having to wait until I was in place where I could smoke, I'd smoke 1 or 2 cigarettes...sometimes 3 thinking I may not have another chance anytime soon. Now with the e-cigarette I can take a couple puffs at my desk if I feel the need and then move on. You can also work your way down to a zero nicotine cartridge...which I am working on. I've made it "Light" so far. Even tho they aren't marketed as a way to quit I'm using to that effect and 2 of my friends already have made it down to zero while still satisfying their craving to "smoke".

[KilgoreTrout @ Sep 20th 2008 5:44PM]

And I guess I can place my order directly to you , yeah?

[BigD145 @ Sep 20th 2008 9:56PM]

So now you're working your way to just an oral fixation. I hear you can get paid to scratch that itch.

[peter @ Sep 20th 2008 10:16PM]

"there's this company that markets them"....(njoy.com) Wow. Please be aware that this comment is marketing from njoy.com.

[Christian Walters @ Sep 20th 2008 5:04PM]

e-cigz are awesome! You can fulfill your cyborg smoking needs with a digital cigartette!

[Ignatius @ Sep 20th 2008 5:11PM]

While I don't approve of smoking, this is technically a healthier way to smoke, if you absolutely have to be addicted to nicotine.

At least it doesn't bother other people AND you do have a chance to slow down your intake to zero.

[GreezyG @ Sep 20th 2008 5:23PM]

I only smoked for 5 years. I decided to quit after my mother died as she had been begging me to quit. I started taking Chantix and I was quit after 3 days. I took the pills for 2 weeks. It cost me $20!!! I saved that much money in 4 days.

[wxrman @ Sep 20th 2008 5:38PM]

ummmmm... that guy looks like he's enjoy a very special type of tobacco.

[Aphex @ Sep 20th 2008 5:30PM]

I SAVED BUNCH OF MONEY ON MY CAR INSURANCE

[Alex @ Sep 20th 2008 6:07PM]

Aphex? As in Aphex Twin?

Rock on, my friend, for you are a cool dude.

[KilgoreTrout @ Sep 20th 2008 5:46PM]

I´m still waiting for the eJoint

[ishism @ Sep 20th 2008 6:51PM]

Ditto

[Jason @ Sep 22nd 2008 4:54PM]

I ordered the Gamucci Micro this weekend after doing extensive research online. The Micro looks just like a regular cig., unlike the one featured in this article which is the Gamucci Classic. On Ebay a guy is selling little bottles of "Smoke Juice" which you can use to refill the nicotine cartridges when they are empty. Supposedly you can refill the cartridges hundreds of times from a $20 bottle of juice. I like the high that cigarettes give me but I hate the smell, ash and taste. These things are supposed to alleviate all of those problems, not to mention that rather than carrying a bulky pox of smokes, you only need to carry one! I will update after I do some solid testing with my Gamucci.

[kh @ Sep 20th 2008 6:26PM]

at least its not an iCigarette

[ethana2 @ Sep 20th 2008 8:22PM]

Oh no. Apple would single handedly kill EVERYONE. Remember when smoking was trendy /before/?!

Heaven help us.

[imacmatt09 @ Sep 20th 2008 10:09PM]

http://i38.tinypic.com/30u33gm.png

iPuffs.

[Daniel Kirk @ Sep 20th 2008 6:40PM]

Taxation without representation, propaganda (factually accurate or not, anything pushed as hard as anti-tobacco campaigns are IS propaganda), local laws banning the use of a legal controlled substance...

The title? Prohibition 2; Or, Fascism Has Never Been So Fashionable.

[Amz @ Sep 20th 2008 8:18PM]

I know it's the principle that you have issues with, but if it's discouraging smoking, then that's good for everyone.

Except, of course, the cigarette companies, but no one really cares about those folks anyway.