Need for a ‘consistent’ science-based view on e-cigarettes

The public health community needs to adopt a consistent science-based view on new generation tobacco products in order to properly inform regulators around the world and thereby shape a stable framework, James Murphy, the head of Reduced Risk Substantiation at British American Tobacco (BAT) told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

Speaking to EURACTIV on the sidelines of an E-Cigarette Summit organised at the Royal Society in London, the world’s oldest independent scientific academy, Murphy said these products have the potential to become a global business.

“We think that by 2030, new generation products will be 30% of our business and by 2050 they could reach 50%,” he said.

Regarding the safety of the products, he noted that there was a huge body of scientific evidence, from academic, regulatory and public health science suggesting that electronic cigarettes are far less harmful than traditional smoking.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Commission are still sceptical when it comes to electronic cigarettes.

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