In most parts of Europe, it is illegal to broadcast commercials for cigarette products. It looks like the European Union is trying to make anyone quit smoking by putting discouraging texts on the packages, aweful pictures of patients suffering from long cancer, and promoting tons of products that will help you quit smoking such as the nicotine gum.
However, it is illegal to broadcast commercials for the electronic cigarette. The court in Den Hague in the Netherlands dismissed the proposal of the company E-Smoking to liquidate the commercial prohibition in early 2008. Until the European Commission or the European Court of Justice decided whether the electric cigarette is a medicin or not, the judge thinks that a prohibition of commercials is fair.
Considering that smoking electric cigarettes are indeed more healthy than smoking regular cigarettes, the judges 'easy' dismissal actually seems ridiculous! Electric cigarettes only contain water vapor and are not damaging any vital organs in a persons' body. It is understandable that it has to be considered if it would be a medicin or not, but more important it is clear that it is a healthy replacement for the regular cigarette.
The spokesman of E-smoking comments that it is strange that it is okay for them to sell their products in thousands of stores, but that it is illegal for them to promote their product, "It is not even been mentioned that the E-cigarette is a medicin, so why is my product put in this category?"
E-Smoking is now coorperating with 'De Slimme Sigaret' (The Smart Cigarette) and other related companies to fight against the prohibiton of commercials of electric cigarette products.
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