Plans to class e cigarettes as a medicine under a new European Union law are being welcomed by the UK s leading brand.

With some commentators voicing concerns that legislation across the continent from 2014 should be seen as a last resort, Nicolites said a Brussels decision due to be announced on September 10 could not come quickly enough.

MEPs will next week vote on the Tobacco Products Directive which, the EU says, aims to help smokers quit and prevent young people picking up the habit which kills around 700,000 Europeans each year.

The UK Government recently decided that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) would regulate all Nicotine Containing Products as medicines and Nicolites is in full support.

Nicolites managing director Nikhil Nathwani said It might come as a surprise to some to hear that we fully support the MHRA and its calls for EU law to create a Europe wide legal position on all nicotine containing products as medicines.

As a responsible company, we of course welcome the move to license e cigarette products and the proposed European legislation. We have always supported the concept of regulating the industry as it will provide a safety framework that will protect consumers from inferior products. Licensing e cigarettes is the responsible thing to do because health really matters and consumers want to understand just how safe these products are.

He added We are 100 per cent certain that Nicolites products will gain the necessary license well before 2016. We began investing in the licensing process some time ago and we are already a long way down the road to complying with all the requirements.

With a host of European countries still refusing to permit the use of e cigarettes on health grounds including Austria, Denmark, Norway and Turkey Nikhil said that a robust policy would finally dispel the many myths associated with the product.

He added We know that Nicolites represent a compelling alternative to tobacco cigarettes on a number of levels. Electronic cigarettes do not contain any of the 4,000 toxic chemicals known to exist in tobacco smoke and so offer an attractive alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes.

We find it ludicrous that many countries not to mention establishments and businesses in the UK oppose the use of e cigarettes when their reasons for doing so are largely unsubstantiated.

Professor John Britton, chair of the Royal College of Physicians tobacco advisory group, has said that switching to alternatives from traditional cigarettes, such as electronic cigarettes, is a healthier choice.

Nikhil added We know that they reduce the harm caused by tobacco as they contain no tar, no tobacco and do not burn like traditional cigarettes. Instead, electronic cigarettes contain liquid nicotine which is inhaled as a vapour.

If we can arrive at an all encompassing, regulated standpoint where everyone is clear about the obvious benefits of our product, then we can finally move forward and dispel the many myths that undermine the enormous benefits we offer.

Nicolites is the UK s largest brand of electronic cigarettes, stocked by a large number of national retailers, including Tesco, ASDA, Superdrug, Co op, WH Smiths, Martin McColls and over 10,000 independent pharmacies and convenience stores.

E cigarettes are designed to look and feel like real cigarettes, but are battery powered products containing liquid nicotine, which is inhaled as a vapour. They contain no tobacco and do not burn, not exposing users to tar and other carcinogens found in normal cigarettes.

To understand more about the benefits of switching to Nicolites, visit

ENDS

CAPTION Nikhil Nathwani, managing director of Nicolites.

Note to editors

The Nicolites Electronic Cigarette range was first launched in 2007. They feature an innovative design that offers smokers a true alternative that s cleaner, safer and healthier. An e cigarette contains no tobacco whatsoever. Although their tip glows a realistic red colour, they do not require fire or flame. Because they are not lit tobacco products, e cigs are in no way subject to the smoking ban. This means you re free to use your electric cigarette wherever you wish, safe in the knowledge that it is perfectly legal. Many users have found that using an e cigarette is much more socially acceptable. There s no unpleasant smoke odour and no smokey residue accumulates on walls and furnishings or in your hair or on your skin. For more information visit

Media

Please contact Paul Skipp, of Barques PR, on 0121 233 2080, or 07957 457911, or email paul for more information, interviews or images.

ENDS

This press release was distributed by SourceWire News Distribution on behalf of Nicolites in the following categories Medical & Pharmaceutical, Health. For more information visit

New directive shows eu plans to ban e-cigarette cartridges and e-liquid

Bond cigarettes ticker :: buy european cigarettes

Posted by Vranks on January 14, 2013 Under E Cig News

E cigarettes have been under fire from all sides for some time now, but the European vaping community has been dealt a serious blow recently a new tobacco product directive plans to ban the sale of nicotine products with a concentration higher than 4mg/ml, in the European Union.

At the end of 2012, a new EU tobacco product directive was released to the public. Among other things, it stipulates that electronic cigarettes will remain available on the market, as long as they come with cartridges containing e liquid with a nicotine concentration of up to 4mg/ml. Anything above that must be authorized as a medical products in order to be allowed. E cigarettes are NOT medical products, but if that were the only way vapers could have access to them, then so be it. Only it’s not that simple. Getting e cigarettes approved as nicotine replacement therapy would cost millions of euros and take several years, during which time they would be off the market and the powers that be would probably make sure they would never return. And there’s really no guarantee e cigs would ever get the approval&#8230

So why not ban electronic cigarettes entirely, right, why go just after the e liquid. Well, because banning the hardware is a lot more complicated, and could be appealed at the EU High Court, whereas a ban against the e liquid is much easier to impose and a lot more efficient, as well. But hey, a 4mg nicotine juice is better than no juice at all, right? Not really, at least not for 99% of vapers who actually use e cigarettes to keep their nicotine craving under control. Medium strength e liquid is around 10 mg, and the strong goes all the way up to 24 mg, so 4 mg isn’t going to help much to keep them from going back to smoking. Nicotine concentration just isn’t high enough for the vast majority of e cig users, so they’ll probably be force to either go back to analogs or try medicinal alternatives instead, which is probably the goal of this initiative. Sadly, pharmaceutical nicotine replacement therapies fail in over 90% of cases&#8230

So what effects can we expect to see when this new tobacco directive is adopted by the European Parliament? While many casual vapers will probably just switch back to analog cigarettes, there will still be a demand for regular e liquid, so we’ll probably witness the birth of a black market, one that doesn’t have to abide by any rules or regulations. In high concentrations, nicotine can be a very dangerous drug, not to mention the hygiene related conditions that have to be met by this kind of product. Local vendors will have to either close up shop or move their businesses to non EU countries and raise the price of their merchandise, and the tobacco and pharmaceutical industries will see their profits grow even more&#8230

The only relatively positive news is that the new law is not going to be adopted immediately. The new European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs, Tonio Borg, wants to have it approved before 2014, when Parliament membership changes, which means it may come into effect sometime in 2015. This means there is still time to protest against these measures and make sure lawmakers know where the public stands. It’ll be hard, even if proof of electronic cigarettes’ positive effects on users are obvious, but vapers have to fight for their rights!