The regulations on e cigarettes vary considerably between countries. In some countries, such as New Zealand, e cigarettes are regulated as medicines and can only be purchased in pharmacies.

In other countries, including Denmark, Canada and Australia, they are subject to restrictions on sale, import and marketing. Complete bans are in place in Brazil, Norway and Singapore.

The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency says it will regulate e cigarettes as medicines when new European tobacco laws come into force.

Jeremy Mean of the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the government had concluded that e cigarettes currently on the market do not meet appropriate standards of safety, quality and efficacy.

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Read the ELF factsheet on e cigarettes

Cannabis bigger cancer risk than cigarettes – european lung foundation[uk]

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The researchers interviewed 79 people with lung cancer to identify the main risk factors for the disease. Participants were asked questions on their smoking habit, family history and occupation along with their alcohol and cannabis consumption.

The results showed that smoking cannabis was the equivalent of smoking 20 tobacco cigarettes a day in terms of lung cancer risk.
The findings found that cannabis harmed the airways more than tobacco as its smoke contained twice the level of carcinogens, such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons, compared with tobacco cigarettes.

The researchers state that the findings show clear evidence that smoking cannabis in the long term increases the risk of developing lung cancer.

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