The World’s Top Scientists Just Issued a Surprising Statement on E-Cigarettes
The news: Fifty-three scientists have written to the UN’s World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan cautioning her not to classify e-cigarettes as tobacco products, which would then lead to stricter regulatory controls on the nascent industry.
The scientists say that e-cigarettes are “part of the solution” to worldwide tobacco addiction.
“These products could be among the most significant health innovations of the 21st century — perhaps saving hundreds of millions of lives. The urge to control and suppress them as tobacco products should be resisted,” they said.
“Policies should be evidence-based and proportionate to risk, and give due weight to the significant reductions in risk that are achieved when a smoker switches to a low risk nicotine product.”
