An interview with well-known researcher of electronic cigarettes Dr. Murray Laugesen of Health New Zealand. He is an author of many publications, letters and presentations about cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and smoking policy.
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These are the topics that the interview covers:
I smoke and most smokers would probably prefer give up, even if they enjoy the habit. Dr. Murray Laugesen is an anti-smoking campaigner involved in New Zealand Royal Electronic cigarette substitute.
N.: What is the Electronic cigarette and how does it work?
Dr. M.: How does it work? Well, it’s pack of the electronics, powered by a battery, which is clipped on the end, which adds to the weight of it a bit, it shuts off after each puff, so that conserves the battery. You can take one puff as much as you want, according to deep of your inhale, and it shuts off, then you take another puff, and it shuts off.
N.: But you are not inhaling smoke?
Dr. M.: No, you’re inhaling a mist, which is Propolene Glycol, which mist you see on stage. It’s harmless stuff. And it contains the nicotine.
N.: Propolene Glycol.
Dr. M.: Yeah. Propolene Glycol commonly used in pharmaceuticals, in soaps, in personal lubricants and kind of things.
N.: How you involved in this? Is it Chinese product?
Dr. M.: It is. They contacted me through my website they wanted to launch this product on the west. And the thought New Zealand and Australia is a good place to start. They are looking for the websites, for someone to research it, and because I done similar work before, they likened on me.
N.: Chinese men are chronic smokers.
Dr. M.: They are. It’s huge problem in China.
N.: It’s part of their macho image kind of thing.
Dr. M.: Yeah. They try to change that now. But the smokeless electronic cigarette is only meant for smokers. And the enough of them to make a good market for this product.
N.: So do have some theatrical smoke that comes out of the tip, I mean for the lit end of the cigarette.
Dr. M.: Yeah, it’s inhaled in and exhaled just like a smoke.
N.: Nicotine some other type of smoke on the other It’s all the same thing.
Dr. M.: Yeah. That’s right.
N.: Battery going like looks like a cigarette holder.
Dr. M.: That’s right. It’s screws in. The battery is re charged for 3 hundred puffs and the nicotine changed changed after about 3 hundred puffs. These cartridges of nicotine last in four days. And in US they are selling in for five dollars each, which is quite a lot. But it’s much cheaper than smoking.
N.: I’ve tried Nicorette of Nicobreath or similar product when you actually chew a chewing gum. And it was disgusting. It was like licking an ashtray out, not like I have or anything. That is the closest my mind can compare. What about taste?
Dr. M.: People prefer the taste to the nicotine inhaler which selling in shops. So, we tested out in the last couple of months on forty people in Auckland. Sixty-five percent says prefer the taste of nicotine inhaler.
N.: Is it likely that that people use it for give up smoking or simply, if they like the experience, use these instead conventional cigarettes?
Dr. M.: Some will go one way. Some will go the other. We don’t know what the propositions are. But some smokers like to keep on with it, because they feel safer taking this stuff, prevents them from wanting to have another cigarette.
N.: Is there any indication of how much this is going to cost in New Zealand? Is it going to get government approval?
Dr. M.: No. There is no any indication yet. It’s selling for about two hundred US dollars on the Internet. But it may cost more or may cost less. We don’t know it. And it’s possible government could subsidize it. We have proved that is similar to relief cigarette cravings as nicotine inhaler. So, it’s the similar pack at least as good as nicotine inhaler.
N.: You are a non-smoker. Have you tried this?
Dr. M.: Yes. It’s effective alright.
N.: What about nicotine? What did it effect on you?
Dr. M.: Well, after couple of puffs it just gives me a headache. I’ve used only zero nicotine puffs and cartridges. It’s quite nice to use.But it is not the sort of thing a non-smoker wants. Smokers don’t want it either unless they want to get off smoking. This thing could be helpful for them. But first of all we need to do research, we intending increase later this year. And we have hundreds of volunteers. But in meantime, we also doing better research on ordinary cigarettes, we need half of dozen volunteers for study for which we are recruiting now. Just two hours on morning. People who smoke trailer made cigarettes and we find them.
N.: Is government pay for this research?
Dr. M.: This founded by Health Sponsorship Council. We comparing Cigarettes smoking.
N.: What about smoking e-cigs on working place regulations?
Dr. M.: Yes, it would. It’s even better If people want to use this inside can’t do any harm but explanations are required.
N.: Looks at panic on an internal domestic airline, people start sparking these things up.
Dr. M.: It’s not smell and it’s harmless. No carbon monoxide out of it.
N.: Dr. Murray Laugesen. Thank you very much for joining to us this morning. Best of luck to your trials.