Britain Supports E-Cigarettes, US Considers Ban

 

The United States and Britain have very different views on e-cigarettes.

American public health officials are warning of the dangers of vaping among young people. But, British officials consider electronic cigarettes to be a powerful tool for people trying to quit smoking.

Britain’s Royal College of Physicians tells doctors to promote e-cigarettes “as widely as possible” for patients trying to give up cigarettes. And Public Health England says vaping is much less dangerous than smoking.

In the United States, hundreds of people who vape have been sickened by a mysterious lung illness. Many of them are teenagers.

In answer, the federal government and some states have recently taken steps to ban flavored e-cigarettes that appeal to young people.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that people consider not using e-cigarettes.

Dr. John Britton is director of the U.K. Center for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies at the University of Nottingham. He said the U.S. reaction is “complete madness.” Dr. Britton added, “The reality with smoking is, if you tell people to stop vaping, they will go back to tobacco and tobacco kills.”

Around the world, countries have different views on vaping. More than 30 nations ban e-cigarettes completely. Many European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Germany and Italy, consider e-cigarettes the same as tobacco products. This puts them under tight control.

E-cigarettes arrived in the United States in 2007 and have been mostly unregulated. Three years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) got the power to oversee¹ their use. Black market, illegal sales of e-cigarettes have grown quickly.

The FDA’s acting² commissioner³, Dr. Ned Sharpless, recently testified before Congress. Several lawmakers suggested that e-cigarettes should be completely removed from the market.

“We do not consider these products safe, we think they have harm,” Dr. Sharpless said. “We do not think really anyone should be using them other than people using them in place of” smoking regular tobacco cigarettes.

How do e-cigarettes work? The vaping devices usually heat a solution containing nicotine⁴ into a vapor⁵, which is inhaled⁷. The amount of nicotine differs widely. Some countries set limits on the amount. There is no limit in the United States. But the widespread use of vaping devices among young people brought warnings from health officials. They said nicotine harms a teenager’s still-developing brain.

“What’s right for England might not be right for the U.S.,” said Ryan Kennedy. He is with the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The CDC said that the mysterious lung illness appears to be linked to THC vaping products. THC is a chemical compound that gives marijuana its high.

The agency said many of the 800 people who got sick reported vaping THC. It said it still needed more information to know whether a single product, substance or brand is responsible. Some researchers have blamed an ingredient used in vaping oils, especially in black market products.

I’m Anne Ball.

Words in This Story

view – n. an opinion or way of thinking about something

vape – v. inhale⁶ and exhale⁸ the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device

promote – v. to make people aware of (something, such as a new product) through advertising⁹ : to make (something) more popular, or well-known

teenager – n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old

unregulated – adj. not subject to laws passed by the government about how something is done, made, processed or sold

vapor – n. a substance that is in the form of a gas or that consists of very small drops or particles mixed with the air

inhale – v. to breathe in

marijuana – n. the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant that are smoked as a drug

1 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 nicotine   

n.(化)尼古丁，烟碱

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。

5 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

6 inhale   

v.吸入(气体等)，吸(烟)

参考例句：

• Don't inhale dust into your lung.别把灰尘吸进肺里。
• They are pleased to not inhale second hand smoke.他们很高兴他们再也不会吸到二手烟了。

7 inhaled   

v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. 她合上双眼，深深吸了一口气。
• Janet inhaled sharply when she saw him. 珍妮特看到他时猛地吸了口气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 exhale   

v.呼气，散出，吐出，蒸发

参考例句：

• Sweet odours exhale from flowers.花儿散发出花香。
• Wade exhaled a cloud of smoke and coughed.韦德吐出一口烟，然后咳嗽起来。

9 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。