To most reasonable people, this licensing thousands of times safer than Chantix. regime does not sound perfect. Indeed, it This is irrefutable. sounds catastrophically harmful. A reason- 7. We certainly don’t want to take a step able person would probably say it is mad- backward on safety, which it is clear is ness to go to this regulatory model when what medicinal licencing entails. Unlimitthe current one appears perfect. ed death and harm is ignored and products Consumer products are far safer. The con- are protected from removal from the marcept that any consumer product could stay ket no matter how ineffective they are and on the market with a record like this is no matter how many deaths they cause. plainly ridiculous: people would be in jail. Medical licensing for ecigs will: In addition, the idea that e-cigarettes could a) Make them more dangerous (as they cause a fraction of the harm Chantix is will be outside the community safety net responsible for is absolutely inconceivable. - the community will stay with modern Any danger is rapidly exposed and any products that work, which will be availpotentially harmful products are quickly able on the huge black market that will recalled. The consumer product safety result from medical licensing). authorities take immediate action in the b) A licensed e-cigarette will clearly be case of a possible threat of a 5 volt shock - impossible to remove from the market something only of any conceivable risk even if it kills hundreds, ruins tens of to a goldfish. thousands of lives, or simply doesn’t work The comparative situation is therefore quite in the first place. clear: c) They will only work a fraction as well 1. Products licensed as medicines can ap- as modern products (we already know that parently kill and injure without limit. the first licensed ecig product will be an 2. They cannot be removed from the mar- obsolete and inefficient device that needs ket, no matter the level of death and dam- rocket fuel in order to even show any drug age caused. delivery, and that is a completely separate 3. Consumer products are extremely safe in issue from efficacy). comparison. d) They will automatically have a market 4. E-Cigarettes are additionally monitored restricted by more than 99.99% (and conby an attentive and vocal community. sumer product success depends on a free 5. The concept that e-cigarettes could ap- market with free choice and freedom to proach even the tiniest fraction of the harm innovate). caused by these dangerous licensed prod- e) It’s a good way to make something ucts is patently ridiculous. more dangerous (which we have just 6. In terms of concrete proof of these proved), less efficient (as we have just points: we already know that e-cigarettes shown), far less attractive (as is fairly are many clear since fashionable medical