(Entertainment-NewsWire.com, June 17, 2013 ) London, UK -- The United Kingdom will begin regulating electronic cigarettes as medicine in three years,UK regulatory officers announced on Wednesday, sparking a new wave of debate over how to classify and control the sale of e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes, which turn nicotine and other chemicals into steam, have grown in popularity over the past few years. They have proven particularly popular with cigarette smokers looking to quit, switch to a healthier alternative or avoid recent bans on smoking in public.
According to the article by the bbc, research suggests that about 1.3 million people in the United Kingdom use e-cigarettes. Jeremy Mean of the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said during a news conference that the labeling change is intended to better regulate the market. "Smoking is the riskiest thing you can do - we want to enable people to cut down and quit - we don't think a ban is a proportionate action,” he said.
No compulsory licensing will take place till 2016, and e-cigarettes are expected to remain for sale over the counter even after the licensing change.
The UK joins a number of countries debating the best way to regulate e-cigarettes. According to the BBC, in some countries, such as Brazil and Norway, e-cigarettes are completely banned. In others, such as Canada and Australia, restrictions exist around their sale, importation and marketing.
“It’s an important conversation to have but we do not foresee many changes” said David Matthews, a representative of Best-electronic-cigarettes. “However, you don’t want to overextend the regulations and discourage tobacco smokers to switch to electronic cigarettes. This is a very diverse and interesting market – and one that has exploded over the past few years” said Mr. Matthews. “We’re really excited to see where it goes.”
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