I turned 50 last year. I have smoked since i was 12. I have tried stopping at least twice a year for the last 25 years. I have used Zyban which took away the will to live and made me almost suicidal, Champix which I loved for the feeling of euphoria it gave me but had no effect on my smoking,gum which I became addicted to in addition to cigarettes, inhalers to no effect and patches - high strength double and even triple patching. My biggest success to date has been 2 months of misery without a cigarette. I carry the alpha 1 gene which makes it highly likely that i will develop COPD. See http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/alpha-1-antitrypsin-deficiency . I have watched relatives die so I am highly motivated to stop smoking. I purchased an e-cigarette without any high expectations of success. I stopped smoking on first the day I tried it. This was an effortless transition. New Zealand is in a unique position to lead the world in this in that it is free from the pressure from the cigarette companies and pharmaceuticals experienced by some of the larger western economies. If our government is serious about tackling the scourge of smoking then they should spend 1% of the tax take on tobacco to produce research that will enable regulated and safe ecigarettes to be produced.Come on New Zealand take the same kind of stand you took with nuclear power and go against the stream.
Re Maria's comment aboveI imagine that you would see a lot of the results of tobacco smoking - not nice. I have been using an e-cig for a while now in the hope of getting off altogether soon. I think e-cigs great for those who want to quite smoking and those who just want to stop smoking tobacco, I mean, even if they cannot get off nicotine at least they don't have all the damaging chemicals and gases that comes with tobacco smoking. As far as cost is concerned, that should not be an problem, a full e-cig kit that will go for over a month will only be about the price of a carton of smokes, 10 packets, $120, which is 1-2 weeks worth for 15-30 a day smoker. Contact on 0211637438 if you want more information.
Its about time that someone finally got off their butts and did the research.I have been a pack a day smoker for nearly 20yrs and tried numerous ways of giving up the cancer sticks.A week ago my e-cigs arrived and i love them. I no longer use normal cigs as the smell and taste turns my green. The best $80 i have spent. Moving on to the FDA, as mentioned earlier they are only worried about the revenue the government will be losing each year, and not the lives of our loved ones we lose each year from smoking related diseases including children who have to breath in the 4000+ chemicals. Yes the e-cig does use propylene glycol, But they do not mention than it also uses vegetable glycerin as an alternative so you have the choice of which to use. There is no nasty smells filling the room, nicotine levels varies from 24mg through to 0mg so can be offered to people especially staying in hospital for extended periods as well as a 0% nicotine option. Also the safety aspect is there as well. How many people worldwide die of horrific burns from falling asleep in bed with a lit cigarette? , How many house fires and bushfires are started by a discarded cigarette each year? The government needs to look at these issues and deal with the problem.