Spanish government to control sale and distribution of e-cigarettes

The Spanish government has taken the decision to control the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes, as there is currently no clear and effective system of control regarding the sale of such nicotine-containing devices.

The Ministry of Health has a new objective: to reformulate the anti-smoking legislation that was approved by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in 2006. The Spanish government’s new proposal aims to restrict the use of e-cigarettes, as they cause “harmful short-term effects”.

Fernando Fernández Bueno, surgical oncologist at the Gómez Ulla Military Hospital and member of the Platform for the Reduction of Harm caused by Tobacco, explained that “vaping is 95% less harmful than traditional tobacco because e-cigarettes do not emit the carcinogens that tobacco does.” He added, “some people still say that vaping is worse than smoking. But there is nothing worse than smoking.”

According to the Ministry of Health, there is currently no clear and effective system of control for the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes. The government’s greatest concern is that these devices could “encourage experimentation in young people and non-smokers”, who may be drawn to smoking e-cigarettes due to the colours of the vaporisers or the flavours used.

The Ministry of Health, headed by Carolina Darias, has manifested concern regarding the sale of these devices, explaining that “there is a large number of websites where nicotine-based devices can be bought online, and the methods for preventing access to minors are neither sufficient nor effective”.

The government wishes to altogether prevent the sale of e-cigarettes online. The objective is to support the sale only in specialised tobacco shops. They have also warned that these new measures will have an effect on the prices of e-cigarettes.

The scientific magazine the American Journal of Physiology published a study showing that e-cigarettes are even more harmful than cigarettes. They created four groups of mice, each exposed to a different environment. The first group was exposed to traditional tobacco; the second to vapour containing propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, the most widely used ingredients in e-cigarettes; the third to vegetable glycerin; and the fourth to vapour containing propylene glycol, nicotine and tobacco flavouring.

After three days, the scientists observed that the mice that had been exposed to the vapour had reduced lung function.

However, vape users claim that they can breathe much better and that they can exercise with much more stamina. According to scientists, there are still no clear and conclusive scientific studies on the matter.

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