Electronic Cigarette Association Urges Unbiased Evaluation of E-cigarettes as Debate Intensifies Around These Devices

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the debate heats up concerning the use of electronic cigarettes, Electronic Cigarette Association (ECA) President Matt Salmon today encouraged those involved in this discussion to carefully and honestly study how these devices work and recognize that the more than one million adult committed smokers, who use electronic cigarettes, are seeking an alternative to combustible cigarettes that contain a multitude of toxic, harmful chemicals.

“Unfortunately, many of the arguments we’ve seen recently against electronic cigarettes have been driven by fear of the unknown, insufficient evidence, political agendas, and ignorance about our members’ products”

The debate on these devices has intensified in recent months as events have fueled and focused attention on electronic cigarettes, including a front-page story last week and a follow-up editorial in yesterday’s edition of USA Today and stories or editorials in other major newspapers such as the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. Governor Schwarzenegger’s veto of a bill that would have denied California citizens the right to purchase electronic cigarettes and a warning by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on a flawed, narrow study have also contributed to the growing debate.

“Unfortunately, many of the arguments we’ve seen recently against electronic cigarettes have been driven by fear of the unknown, insufficient evidence, political agendas, and ignorance about our members’ products,” said Salmon. “As in the case of California Governor Schwarzenegger, we’ve found that reasonable people, when willing to honestly and intellectually evaluate the information about electronic cigarettes, find that these products provide smokers a viable alternative to combustible tobacco cigarettes.”

Some legislators have taken a stance against electronic cigarettes as a result of an FDA study that Salmon says was extremely narrow in scope and failed to follow established scientific protocols. The Electronic Cigarette Association has called on the FDA to take a more scientific approach and to work with ECA members before making any hasty decision to ban electronic cigarettes altogether. Such a ban would leave smokers without an alternative to combustible cigarettes, whose toxic substances and life-threatening health effects are clearly documented and which the FDA has no intention of banning.

“We understand that to protect the public, some form of regulation may be necessary, and we welcome that. Our goal, nevertheless, is to ensure committed adult smokers the freedom of a clear, better alternative and to prohibit sales to minors,” said Salmon.

About the Electronic Cigarette Association

The ECA (www.ecassoc.org) is an association of private sector companies engaged in electronic cigarette technologies. Its mission is to provide the tools and information necessary for policy-makers, opinion leaders, media, and private sector companies worldwide to make informed decisions about the management and use of electronic cigarette technologies. The association institutes and promotes industry-wide standards and a code of conduct, works to maintain sound professional practices, educates the public and policy-makers on the industry’s activities and potential, and works to ensure the ethical use of electronic cigarette technologies.