Earlier this year, the renowned author George Gay received a news brief titled "Proposal: Seven Steps for Italy's New Government to Reduce Smoking," which also featured a subheading stating that the World Electronic Cigarette User Alliance had recommended the steps as part of the new government's inauguration.
The following is George Gai's original statement:
While everything seems fine, the annotations are somewhat peculiar, as the text refers to the first step of the strategy as "supporting the reduction of tobacco harm." It appears that the "seven steps to harm reduction" have been simplified to "supporting the reduction of tobacco harm.
This does not amount to criticism. I am sure that those within the league are more knowledgeable about the new Italian government than I am and if they believe it is best to keep things simple or that the government cannot follow a complex seven-step strategy, who am I to argue? After all, I cannot propose a seven-stage strategy to the UK government.
Alright, I lied. I may have some criticisms about the press release. One of the people sitting next to League party's Gianna Gancia, who is Italy's Environmental Protection Minister, during the announcement of the strategy in Rome was Michael Landel, the Director of the Alliance. When discussing the proposed revision of the EU Tobacco Products Directive, Gancia stated that the Italian government needs to adhere to some basic principles regarding e-cigarette legislation.
Especially, Italy should maintain a wide variety of flavors, as this will help consumers transition from traditional smoking to electronic smoking," part of her statement was quoted as saying. Translation: According to part of her statement, she stated that Italy should keep a range of e-cigarette flavors available for consumers to help them move away from traditional smoking.
In my opinion, mentioning "electronic cigarettes" is pointless and unnecessary. This will benefit opponents of the e-cigarette industry, who will whisper to the other side of the government, "See, they are all smoking; there is no difference.
Why, if she wants to promote the electronic cigarette industry, doesn't she say, 'This will help consumers transition from smoking to electronic cigarettes and in this way, properly balance between smoking and electronic cigarettes'?
After all, the alliance is well aware of the importance of this department. The strategy announced in Rome is part of a wider campaign across Europe with the slogan #BackVapingBeatSmoking.
Words matter. Unfortunately, despite some understandable reasons, electronic cigarettes were initially called electronic cigarettes. There is no need to provide more ammunition to those who oppose electronic cigarettes and reducing the harm of tobacco.
While I don't typically write headlines, I am fascinated by them to the point that I have pinned one of my favorites to the bulletin board above my desk. It is a title that I cut out from an issue of the London Review of Books from several years ago and it simply states, "They treat us like shit.
You may criticize this headline for not being clear on who "they" and "we" are, but it certainly piques your interest. The article focuses on the leaders of a totalitarian state, "they," and the ordinary citizens of that country, "we." The headline has a provocative tone, suggesting a potential for violence, as if spoken by an oppressed person planning a revolution. While the use of profanity may be off-putting, what's most important is that it succinctly captures the essence of the article.
The issue at hand is the need to be careful not to reduce absurdity for the sake of brevity, as seen in the opinion piece on inquirer.net titled "Reducing harm for tobacco?". Upon first reading this headline, one may have been excited by the prospect of a forward-thinking perspective examining the concept of plant consciousness and the morality of removing leaves, processing, and burning live tobacco plants.
Of course, at the very least, the headline should read "Reducing Harm for Tobacco Users?" because that is the subject of this article. Or perhaps not. After all, many of us often use the phrase "reducing tobacco harm.
Lastly, when did it become acceptable to add a question mark at the end of a title that presents an opinion? Opinion writers are expected to provide their own views, not pose questions and seek input from readers.
No wonder I'm intrigued by the headline. Take a look at this one from theguardian.com: "Australian teenagers easily accessing illegal e-cigarette products. This is the conversation with Christina Watts, Becky Freeman and Sam Egger.
I believe the author of this book suggests that the use of the term "illegal immigrant" perpetuates the notion that their existence is inherently unlawful, beyond just their actions. This unfortunate individual may have resorted to illegal means out of desperation in the hopes of finding a country that wouldn't persecute them, but they themselves are not inherently criminal.
Is this title just a mistake? I hope so, because if not, it is deliberately shifting the blame from teenagers to completely innocent e-cigarette products. It is the teenagers who are engaging in illegal behavior, possibly in collusion with illegal sellers.
I cannot comment on the second sentence of the headline, as it is simply too terrifying to imagine.
I have to give the headline writer at ctpublic.org her due, because she seemed to awkwardly place the phrase "more deadly products" in quotes: "Yale study suggests higher e-cigarette taxes might prompt users to smoke more deadly products." I assume she, but not the person responsible for the quote, knows there is no degree of deadliness. Something is either deadly or it's not, just as something is either unique or it's not, despite the common use of phrases like "truly unique." However, I must say that if the headline had removed the word "deadly" following "smoke," I would have been more impressed.
Otherwise, why be so ashamed to use "combustible cigarettes" instead of "deadlier product"? Or have we become so sensitive that we can't openly mention combustible cigarettes anymore?
When is a sobriety test not a sobriety test? For instance, what if an app tests whether you're under the influence of alcohol? That would certainly be a drunk test.
When I came across a news article on Eurekalert titled "Does vaping impair driving ability on a sober test?", I began to question the premise of the story. The article seemed to assume that being drunk was the default setting for human beings, and that anyone exhibiting signs of sobriety must be subject to a test to prove it, including speaking coherently, behaving rationally, and driving in a straight line on a road.
However, this is baseless gossip. What I mean is, no matter what sparkling advertisements might have you believe, you won’t be heading out to your local hospital or clinic for a health test. You go to find out if you have a particular illness or other disease. Even if you have a yearly physical, the exam is looking for early signs of illness, not early signs of health.
The idea of sober testing seems somewhat reminiscent of a police state, where people may be stopped for normal behavior. For those concerned about human rights and fears of a slippery slope, this could lead to worries about being stopped for other normal behaviors such as breathing, thinking, and being happy.
In my view, the headline is also misleading because it implies that the problem lies with e-cigarettes when, in fact, it is a testing issue, as clearly explained in the story's introduction. "Although ethanol is a common hidden ingredient in e-liquids, a new study has found that smoking e-cigarettes does not trigger false positives in sobriety tests – provided law enforcement has the appropriate wait time [between stopping a driver and administering the test]," the introduction states. It is important to note that the "appropriate" wait time referred to is actually the standard time used during DUI (driving under the influence) roadside stops.
It's important to note that the article starts by discussing how electronic cigarettes could potentially cause someone to fail a sobriety test, but then highlights that it may actually lead to a "false positive" on the test. So what does this mean? Essentially, if someone is tested after using an e-cigarette, they may appear sober when they actually have alcohol in their system. This could potentially lead to someone getting off the hook for drunk driving when they shouldn't be, and all because they used an e-cigarette.
The recent headline of the BBC News raised the question, "Should disposable e-cigarettes be banned?" Do you have any thoughts on the matter? No?
As is often the case with stories that end with a question mark in the headline, no answer is given, although one or possibly two people are quoted as saying "yes". This makes you wonder if the person who wrote the headline actually read the story.
However, I cannot complain. I believe that the BBC has effectively covered the issue of disposable e-cigarettes, even if the story only gave people the opportunity to lament about how these products are being carelessly discarded as litter in the UK, and hold everyone accountable for the situation. Unfortunately, this debate has not received enough encouragement.
It is clear that it is necessary to go back to basics and ask whether electronic cigarettes, including disposable ones, are positive. This means honestly answering the question: should we further worsen the environment while striving to reduce the harm caused to smokers by combustible cigarettes? Yes, electronic cigarettes may help individual smokers avoid the harm they would have suffered, but should this be at the cost of sacrificing the environment?
The answer to this issue could depend on how many smokers can switch to using electronic smoking devices and the extent of environmental damage that will be suffered. Of course, environmental benefits must be taken into account in this equation, as conversion to electronic smoking devices would mean smokers will no longer discard cigarette butts.
Other factors must also be considered, such as the percentage of electronic cigarette devices that can be properly disposed of if a widespread recycling system is established and the efficiency of the recycling process. It must be remembered that some things cannot be recycled, while others may require a large amount of energy to be recycled.
In my opinion, a key factor is related to the attitude of consumers. A large number of cigarette butts are scattered on our streets and waterways, which is often blamed on cigarette manufacturers. I must say that despite earning huge profits for many years, they have never properly addressed this issue. However, the undeniable fact is that it is the consumers who drop the butts on the ground. If they are willing to put their butts in designated trash cans, it would be a fairly easy task to collect and recycle them into trays or other things. But the reality is that too many consumers have never been willing to do so.
According to a report by the BBC, a former user of disposable e-cigarettes stated that she was unaware that the products could be recycled, and added that the information on the products could definitely be improved. "If e-cigarette companies advertise on social media to let people know how to properly dispose of them, it would grab our attention", she said.
Now, I don't want to be too critical, but to me, this sounds a little unstable. People shouldn't think that using e-cigarettes is okay without taking some responsibility. If you search "Can e-cigarettes be recycled?" on Google, there is endless available information. I'm not saying that this information will answer all your questions, but the answers are enough to allow you to handle your e-cigarette device in a way that can reduce most of the environmental damage caused by throwing them on the street.
We should not allow irresponsible consumers to escape accountability, otherwise there will definitely be more people answering to the issue at hand.
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