Did Glantz & ANTZ help to destroy ecig ban?

 

Ecigs are NOT medicines.

This was the conclusion of the Swedish Administrative Court today, ending a rollercoaster case that has been dragging on for over two years. The Swedish Medicines Agency Läkemedelsverket took an ecig shop to court under the presumption that nicotine-containing ecigs and eliquids should be regulated under medicines law and regulation. The Court has finally decided that ecigs should not be subjected to this law or any medicines regulation. It is a huge win for consumer-driven tobacco harm reduction and freedom of choice.

The most sublime part of this ruling was the fact that Läkemedelsverket’s case was built on their claim that since ecigs are effective cessation products, they should be brought under their juristiction in line with patches, gums, Chantix and other medicinal cessation products. The court ruled that after consideration of the available “evidence”, they didn’t consider ecigs to be effective cessation products.

So in their own special way, anti-vaping buffoon Glantz and the army of junk-science spouting “researchers” around the world have helped to prevent ecigs being banned as illegal/unlicensed medicines. It’s a delightful irony that a case whose central premise appeared to have been “These things are awesome cessation products, let’s ban them” has been rejected.

Of course anyone who cares to look around them and see the amount of ex-smoking vapers there are knows full well that ecigs are a superb choice for those who would like to switch to a less harmful product. And thanks to the junk science of Glantz et al, many more Swedish smokers will continue to get the opportunity to try for themselves.

So thanks Stan & friends. You have inadvertantly helped Swedish vapers to win one battle. Now the war really begins in earnest, as vapers, harm-reduction advocates and enlightened politicians fight both the TPD and the inevitable attempts of the Swedish government to gold-plate it.