Why are we concerned about e-cigarettes?
These devices directly undermine the effects and intentions of existing legislation including the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces.
BMA public health medicine committee co-chair Richard Jarvis
E-cigarettes are battery-operated products designed to replicate smoking behaviour without the use of tobacco – some look like conventional cigarettes, while others appear more like an electronic device.
They use heat to vaporise a liquid-based solution containing nicotine into an aerosol mist and have been proposed as a way to help smokers quit the habit.
But there is a lack of rigorous, peer-reviewed studies to support the use of e-cigarettes as a safe and effective nicotine-replacement therapy. They are also subject to limited regulation, and are not licensed as a medicine in the UK.
These devices may also undermine efforts to prevent or stop smoking by making cigarette use seem normal in public and at work.
At the BMA's annual meeting, our members agreed that electronic cigarettes should be included in the ban on smoking in public places.
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