Funny Laws

[Zeroi]

I have been reading here and there and found that the below laws is abit funny,

Get the Facts Right! Learn More about Tobacco Products - Health Promotion Board Singapore

<Electronic cigarettes have so far been proven to be neither safe nor effective in helping smokers quit. More research still needs to be done to establish the usefulness of e-cigarettes to help people quit smoking.
Although e-cigarettes do not contain some of the harmful substances found in normal cigarettes, this does not mean that they are entirely harmless. The nicotine present still poses a health risk to users.>

So if we can change that statement, How about the below

Electronic cigarettes have so far not been proven to be not safe nor not effective in helping smokers quit.
More research still needs to be done to establish the usefulness of e-cigarettes to help people quit smoking. <-- Who is doing the Research and where is it? I can be the fill in my name

Although e-cigarettes do not contain some of the harmful substances found in normal cigarettes, this does not mean that they are entirely harmless. The nicotine present still poses a health risk to users.< so Smoking tobacco with Nicotine is ok? LOL

 

[sotong]

well well, I just wonder how many will actually bother to take an in-depth look like you did... if only everyone reader will.

Sad to say

 

[Lonely^Driver]

Although e-cigarettes do not contain some of the harmful substances found in normal cigarettes, this does not mean that they are entirely harmless. The nicotine present still poses a health risk to users.< so Smoking tobacco with Nicotine is ok? LOL

Maybe that's why all cigarette packet box outside states that "Smoking Kills" and all the unsightly pics attached to it. This is how they protect themself in a way by saying we(Gov) have already warned you so it's up to you to carry on smoking or stop.

 

[Xaero3D]

That doesn't validate the sale of nicotine tablets, patches etc. They too pose a health risk as well since they are still nicotine. Oh well...uniquely Singapore as the saying goes.

 

[lictenau]

That doesn't validate the sale of nicotine tablets, patches etc. They too pose a health risk as well since they are still nicotine. Oh well...uniquely Singapore as the saying goes.

I believe those are tax/marked up unlike ecig

 

[Xaero3D]

I believe those are tax/marked up unlike ecig

Therein lies truth.

Although honestly even if ecigs are sold here at a marked up rate, I would still buy for it's benefits of quitting analogs.

 

[Syn007]

<Electronic cigarettes have so far been proven to be neither safe nor effective in helping smokers quit. More research still needs to be done to establish the usefulness of e-cigarettes to help people quit smoking.
Although e-cigarettes do not contain some of the harmful substances found in normal cigarettes, this does not mean that they are entirely harmless. The nicotine present still poses a health risk to users.

Very contradicting statement indeed. I think $ is the underlying issues surrounding all these ecig saga. Ecig will rip off a huge chunk of the market share of analogs. And that will make a lot of people unhappy - cigarettes company/ govt taxes and alike. That's why they tell you ecig got risk, at the same time, they couldn't come up with a strong proof with extensive lab research.. and YET... they still tell you it is no good.

However, i do feel that liquids have to be regulated properly. If not, you might be inhaling poison fumes from unscrupulous profiteer. Remember the china poison milk case?

 

[lictenau]

price of cigarette $2 to tobacco company $7+ to Gov, rest to retail stores. The tobacco companies has a big lobby(see Australia) and they only make 20% can you imagine what the gov will do when you try to take away their 70%. percentages are worst for some other countries ie Aus, UK.
So what do you get from paying the gov $7? NOTHING but lots of restrictions. at least some other countries you get healthcare.

 

[Necromancer]

Toxicology

The LD50 of nicotine is 50 mg/kg for rats and 3 mg/kg for mice. 40–60 mg (0.5-1.0 mg/kg) can be a lethal dosage for adult humans. Nicotine therefore has a high toxicity in comparison to many other alkaloids such as ......., which has an LD50 of 95.1 mg/kg when administered to mice. It is unlikely that a person would overdose on nicotine through smoking alone, although overdose can occur through combined use of nicotine patches or nicotine gum and cigarettes at the same time. Spilling a high concentration of nicotine onto the skin can cause intoxication or even death, since nicotine readily passes into the bloodstream following dermal contact.

The carcinogenic properties of nicotine in standalone form, separate from tobacco smoke, have not been evaluated by the IARC, and it has not been assigned to an official carcinogen group. The currently available literature indicates that nicotine, on its own, does not promote the development of cancer in healthy tissue and has no mutagenic properties. However, nicotine and the increased cholinergic activity it causes have been shown to impede apoptosis, which is one of the methods by which the body destroys unwanted cells (programmed cell death). Since apoptosis helps to remove mutated or damaged cells that may eventually become cancerous, the inhibitory actions of nicotine may create a more favourable environment for cancer to develop, though this also remains to be proven.[59]

Though the teratogenic properties of nicotine may or may not yet have been adequately researched, women who use nicotine gum and patches during the early stages of pregnancy face an increased risk of having babies with birth defects, according to a study of around 77,000 pregnant women in Denmark. The study found that women who use nicotine-replacement therapy in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy have a 60 percent greater risk of having babies with birth defects, compared to women who are non-smokers, the Daily Mail reported. The findings were published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Effective April 1, 1990, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency added nicotine to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause developmental toxicity, for the purposes of Proposition 65.

Link to circulatory disease
Nicotine has very powerful effects on arteries throughout the body. Nicotine is a stimulant, it raises blood pressure, and is a vasoconstrictor, making it harder for the heart to pump through the constricted arteries. It causes the body to release its stores of fat and cholesterol into the blood.[61]

It has been speculated that nicotine increases the risk of blood clots by increasing plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, though this has not been proven. Plasma fibrinogen levels are elevated in smokers and are further elevated during acute COPD exacerbation. Also Factor XIII, which stabilizes fibrin clots, is increased in smokers. But neither of these two effects has been shown to be caused by nicotine as of 2009.

 

[Necromancer]

Therapeutic uses
The primary therapeutic use of nicotine is in treating nicotine dependence in order to eliminate smoking with the damage it does to health. Controlled levels of nicotine are given to patients through gums, dermal patches, lozenges, electronic/substitute cigarettes or nasal sprays in an effort to wean them off their dependence.

However, in a few situations, smoking has been observed to apparently be of therapeutic value. These are often referred to as "Smoker’s Paradoxes". Although in most cases the actual mechanism is understood only poorly or not at all, it is generally believed that the principal beneficial action is due to the nicotine administered, and that administration of nicotine without smoking may be as beneficial as smoking, without the higher risk to health due to tar and other ingredients found in tobacco.

For instance, recent studies suggest that smokers require less frequent repeated revascularization after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Risk of ulcerative colitis has been frequently shown to be reduced by smokers on a dose-dependent basis; the effect is eliminated if the individual stops smoking.[64][65] Smoking also appears to interfere with development of Kaposi's sarcoma in patients with HIV

Nicotine reduces the chance of breast cancer among women carrying the very high risk BRCA gene, preeclampsia, and atopic disorders such as allergic asthma. A plausible mechanism of action in these cases may be nicotine acting as an anti-inflammatory agent, and interfering with the inflammation-related disease process, as nicotine has vasoconstrictive effects.

Tobacco smoke has been shown to contain compounds capable of inhibiting MAO. Monoamine oxidase is responsible for the degradation of dopamine in the human brain. When dopamine is broken down by MAO-B, neurotoxic by-products are formed, possibly contributing to Parkinson's and Alzheimers disease. Many such papers regarding Alzheimer's disease[72] and Parkinson's Disease have been published. Recent studies find no beneficial link between smoking and Alzheimer's disease and in some cases, suggest it may actually result in an earlier onset of the disease. However, nicotine has been shown to delay the onset of Parkinson's disease in studies involving monkeys and humans. However a study has shown a protective effect of nicotine itself on neurons due to nicotine activation of α7-nAChR and the PI3K/Akt pathway which inhibits AIF release and mitochondrial translocation, cytochrome c release and caspase 3 activation.

Recent studies have indicated that nicotine can be used to help adults suffering from autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. The same areas that cause seizures in that form of epilepsy are responsible for processing nicotine in the brain.

Studies suggest a correlation between smoking and schizophrenia, with estimates near 75% for the proportion of schizophrenic patients who smoke. Although the nature of this association remains unclear, it was recently argued that the increased level of smoking in schizophrenia may be due to a desire to self-medicate with nicotine. More recent research has found that mildly dependent users got some benefit from nicotine, but not those who were highly dependent.[85] All of these studies are based only on observation, and no interventional (randomized) studies have been done. Research on nicotine as administered through a patch or gum is ongoing.

Nicotine appears to improve ADHD symptoms. Some studies are focusing on benefits of nicotine therapy in adults with ADHD.

Nicotine (in the form of chewing gum or a transdermal patch) is being explored as an experimental treatment for OCD. Small studies show some success, even in otherwise treatment-refractory cases.

 

[Necromancer]

So... nicotine = health risk?

*Sings*
It's all about the money, money, money
We need your money, money, money
We just wanna make S'pore pay
Look at the price tag~

All about the cha-ching, cha-ching
All about the ba-bling, ba-bling
We just wanna make S'pore pay
Pay for my Kate Spade~

 

[samo50sg]

The nicotine factor put forward is just absoultely ridiculous. If thats true, Pfizer's patches and inhalers should be banned as well.

Tobacco lobby group would be the last pple I will be worried about when it comes to Singapore. These companies couldn't care less if writen off (Sg's small population and authoritarian govt). The govt is just happy to sit back and let the revenue come in.

Its the Pharmaceutical Giants that will have a strong grip on the issue. The line between Medical/Health Officials and Phamaceutical Companies have also been a thin thread here. GPs openly pushed their favourite brand of drugs to patients. (Yes. I have personal experience on this with some GPs here)

Personally, I feel HPB piggy backs on WHO directives and has always been a great supporter of WHO. Its time for them to get updated on this issue.

i applaud Zeroi for the continued effort in doing the research and staying in contact with the relevant authorities.

 

[samo50sg]

I have been reading here and there and found that the below laws is abit funny,

Get the Facts Right! Learn More about Tobacco Products - Health Promotion Board Singapore

<Electronic cigarettes have so far been proven to be neither safe nor effective in helping smokers quit. More research still needs to be done to establish the usefulness of e-cigarettes to help people quit smoking.
Although e-cigarettes do not contain some of the harmful substances found in normal cigarettes, this does not mean that they are entirely harmless. The nicotine present still poses a health risk to users.>

So if we can change that statement, How about the below

Electronic cigarettes have so far not been proven to be not safe nor not effective in helping smokers quit.
More research still needs to be done to establish the usefulness of e-cigarettes to help people quit smoking. <-- Who is doing the Research and where is it? I can be the fill in my name

Although e-cigarettes do not contain some of the harmful substances found in normal cigarettes, this does not mean that they are entirely harmless. The nicotine present still poses a health risk to users.< so Smoking Tobacco with Nicotine is ok? LOL

Your initiative on documenting personal success stories is a great step forward. Hopefully, it continues to grow. A good and properly directed media coverage will "encourage" more "Hardcore smokers" to step forward and take the leap.

If there is one advantage Singapore has over Australia in e-cigs, Its the absence of JACKASS who will somehow manage to abuse e-cigs for substances other then nicotine.

 

[samo50sg]

The most popular line and the one that anger me most I've seen is " Risk of Women and Children picking up e-cigs".

Smokers' lives have been degraded to worthlessness. This is blanket approval for: We are willing to let smokers carry on killing themselves. Nevermind e-cig being used to help kick the same smoking addiction that carries the risk of Women and Children picking up.

I just wish these proponants actually listen to what they are actually saying.

 

[Yunn85]

Happens dude, it's like trying to reason with the pro-life people.

 

[Necromancer]

Note: 1:24 - 1:32

some readups

http://www.tobaccoharmreduction.org/faq/ecigs.htm

http://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/spike/fda-obstructing-e-cigarette-research.html

http://www.anelectroniccigarette.com/index.html