The electronic cigarette has been in existence since 2003 but it is only in the last few years that the product has risen to the status of being “big news”. There is an ongoing tug of war of epic proportions being fought, with the electronic cigarette right in the middle.

Manufacturers and distributors are obviously keen to see the product succeed whilst opposition from governments and health authorities are urging caution to say the least and in some countries they have tried to implement a complete ban.

Initially, e cigarette companies were billing the product as a “healthier” alternative to smoking and as a device to help quit smoking. However, due to the strong opposition to the e cig and the way it was being marketed, distributors in many cases have been forced into changing their marketing language.

Instead of “healthier”, some promoters are now billing the device as “less harmful”. It appears that branding the e cigarette as a method of quitting smoking is now generally prohibited with phrases such as “an alternative way of smoking” being the new preferred language.

What is all this fuss about anyway? Most electronic cigarettes look very similar to their tobacco counterparts with the main difference in structure being their reusable nature. E cigarettes are battery and cartridge operated and emits only vapour rather than smoke.

Perhaps the most significant difference between an e cig and a regular tobacco cigarette is the tobacco itself. The electronic version contains no tobacco at all and as a result all the tar that comes from the tobacco is absent also. This, claim the distributors of electronic cigarettes is what makes the product “less harmful” than tobacco cigarettes, after all it is well known that the combination of tobacco and resulting tar can cause cancer.

One ingredient that is present in both products however, is nicotine (although a nicotine free cartridge can be used with an e cig). This is of course the ingredient that is addictive and it is also the ingredient that health authorities and certain governments are keen to see the electronic cigarette closely monitored over.

The debate will likely rumble on for some time to come but bright news for the electronic cigarette and its supporters is the fact the smokers who have decided to try the product, mostly seem delighted with it and many never go back to their old tobacco cigarettes again, claiming that they do in fact feel generally better than when the smoked their old cigarettes.

My father, a non smoker, developed lung cancer and died as a result of passive smoking and I am a non smoker myself. From the outside looking in it does appear nothing short of incredible that the electronic cigarette is not being embraced by governments and health officials the world over.

If the electronic cigarette companies are to be believed (and perhaps eventually proved officially correct) then the potential of the electronic cigarette is huge. Life changing and possibly even world changing stuff! My political views may well be very naïve but if a world existed where decisions were based simply on what we currently know then surely this debate would be a no brainer!

It would seem a fair point that the vast majority (there are always exceptions) of the smoking population would love to smoke a cigarette that isn’t going to kill them if they intend to continue with the habit, whilst there are millions of course who would love to quit smoking altogether.

Everything I have read about the electronic cigarette so far seems to promote both of these ideas strongly. A cigarette you can continue to smoke without inhaling all the harmful toxins, enabling a smoker to continue their habit without worrying about the muddy tar accumulating in their lungs or a cigarette that can actually help wean a smoker off “regular” cigarettes by allowing the user to gradually reduce the amounts of nicotine taken in thanks to the handy cartridge system an electronic cigarette uses.

It is obvious that the potential of these controversial electronic cigarettes is massive. Perhaps even the breakthrough of the century! So why are we still waiting for answers? If health organisations are saying they have not yet been tested, why not? If the potential here really is off the chart, why isn’t there a frantic dash from organisations and companies to be the first to declare the electronic cigarette officially safe?

Perhaps when all is said and done, it is sadly all about politics because organisations don’t seem to be prepared to declare the product categorically unsafe either!

In conclusion to a very meaningful and personal viewpoint, I hope that the electronic cigarette is proven to be as safe and radically life changing as the companies claim and the sooner the better, for everyone!