E-cig consultation launched

The Science and Technology Committee of the UK Parliament has launched a public consultation to ‘examine the impact of electronic cigarettes on human health (including their effectiveness as a stop-smoking tool), the suitability of regulations guiding their use, and the financial implications of a growing market on both business and the NHS’, according to a Bloomberg News story relayed by the TMA, and a report by Sarah Knapton for telegraph.co.uk.

The chair of the committee, Norman Lamb MP, said that almost three million people in the UK now used e-cigarettes, but that there were still significant gaps in the research guiding their regulation and sale.

“They are seen by some as valuable tools that will reduce the number of people smoking ‘conventional’ cigarettes, and seen by others as ‘re-normalising’ smoking for the younger generation,” Lamb said.

“We want to understand where the gaps are in the evidence base, the impact of the regulations, and the implications of this growing industry on NHS costs and the UK’s public finances.”

Written submissions will be accepted until December 8.