E-Cigarettes and the Future

Smoking is proven to be dangerous and smokers all know the risks. Cigarette smokers expose themselves to the increased odds of dying from cancer. The tobacco industry has considerable political influence throughout the world.

Smoking and the Law

Our Politicians tell us how they make policy with our best interests in mind, while raising billions annually from the taxes on products that they know kill us. Alcohol is similar in that it raises billions in duty while being harmful to users. There has been some negative press surrounding electronic cigarettes and vaporizers.

Every year, 100,000 people die in the UK from smoking related illnesses, from which the government earns billions. At the same time, the government have introduced workplace health and safety laws to protect the 200 workers who die annually in work related accidents.

The UK government needs the income raised from smokers. The only conclusion you can draw is that the government will protect you unless it is more profitable not to.

The Regulation of E-Cigarettes

As tax revenues fall as more and more smokers switch to electronic cigarettes, it will become necessary for the government to regulate and therefore be able to tax electronic cigarettes and e-liquid.

The industrial giants that already dominate the smoking cessation industry will soon take over the vaporizer sector once regulation occurs. Will this be in the public interest, and for the protection of smokers? It is purely going to be about taxation and gaining control of a new and lucrative market.

Opponents to E-Cigarettes

Two industries will be affected by the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, the tobacco industry and the smoking cessation industry. Many smokers like the satisfying nicotine hit that they get from an e-cigarette in preference to using patches or gum.

While the tobacco industry want to prevent e-cigarettes from taking their customers, it is difficult for them to argue against them on health grounds. It makes you wonder if the tobacco companies are quietly supporting the smoking cessation’s anti e-cigarette stance? it would make sense.

Likely Regulation of Electronic Cigarettes

The Governments main concern it seems to me is in how it can effectively tax e-liquid in order to replace the lose tobacco income it currently receives. Because e-liquid is made up of easy to obtain ingredients, it will always be possible to make your own e-liquid, thereby negating any duty levied on regulated products.

Once regulated, the official manufacturers will in all likelihood do everything they can to prevent people from making their own e-liquid. During the heyday of cigarette smuggling most cigarettes were duty free “real” cigarettes rather than faked copies. Calling them fake allowed horror stories to be spread.

At some point in 2014-16 we will see regulation of electronic cigarettes and vaporizers to some extent. If the Government can find a way to tax e-juice then apart from reducing the cost savings, electronic cigarettes are here to stay.

E-cigarettes are a safer nicotine delivery method than smoking tobacco, with far less harmful ingredients. Despite this, if e-liquid can’t be taxed then it will be more likely that they will be banned instead.

In the not too distant future electronic smoking devices will be regulated to one extent or another. Taxation of e-liquid would go some way towards mitigating the gradual erosion of tobacco duty revenue.

In conclusion, it is unlikely that electronic cigarettes will continue to be sold unregulated for much longer.