烟草在线据《爱尔兰独立报》报道编译　　爱尔兰今年的电子卷烟销售增长了三倍——但吸烟者仍然不能确定使用电子卷烟的好处或是风险，而有关当局也仍然没有明确谁应该负责管理电子卷烟。

　　电子卷烟能输送尼古丁，但却没有燃烧烟草和焦油的致癌效应，但它们相对的新颖性意味着医生对它们的健康影响还不是很确定。

　　爱尔兰的卫生当局还需要做出决定，电子卷烟因使吸烟者离开传统卷烟而对使用者有好处，还是因电子卷烟输出致瘾的尼古丁而对使用者有威胁。爱尔兰卫生部说，电子卷烟没有被当作医药来管理，是因为它们没有被作为吸烟替代品来销售，而是作为戒烟辅助产品来销售。电子卷烟不属于烟草立法的管辖内，因为它们不含任何烟草。

　　爱尔兰卫生部说，电子卷烟被默认由国家消费者保护局实施的一般产品安全法所覆盖。

　　不过，国家消费者保护局说，含有尼古丁的电子卷烟应该由卫生部或爱尔兰医药管理局负责管理。

　　爱尔兰医药管理局说，它认为电子卷烟是释放尼古丁的系统，这使得它们成为只能通过药店出售的医药产品。但由于缺乏管理法规，爱尔兰制药业协会指示自己的协会成员不要在药店出售电子卷烟。电子卷烟现在在爱尔兰全国的很多便民店和超市内出售，包括像Supervalu这样的大型零售商。

　　在位于都柏林的商店出售Ovale牌和Ecirette牌电子卷烟的Alex Pescar说，在过去一年里，电子卷烟的销售增长了3倍。

　　他说：“就像我们在1月份时看到开始使用电子卷烟的人激增一样，人们开始使用电子卷烟的关键原因是，他们想要戒烟。另一个重要的原因，是吸卷烟的成本太高了，于是人们开始转向这些作为更便宜的替代品的电子卷烟。”

　　都柏林人Alec MacNeil说，他注意到，自从他在6个月前开始使用电子卷烟之后，他的精力和总体健康状况都有了巨大的提高和改善。

　　在经济方面，他也能感受到影响，因为他现在一周花6欧元用于电子卷烟，相比之下，他以前每天吸20支卷烟，一周花在吸烟方面的费用就达到60欧元。

　　他说：“由于缺乏相关的法规，我一开始对于使用电子卷烟非常谨慎，但我为了戒烟，尝试过所有别的东西，现在我真希望，这些电子卷烟早在几年前推出就好了。”

Ireland: Electronic Cigarette Sales up But Risks Still Unknown

　　SALES of electronic cigarettes have trebled this year -- but smokers are still uncertain about the benefits or risks of using them and the authorities remain unclear about who is responsible for regulating them.

　　Electronic cigarettes deliver a nicotine kick without the cancer-causing effects of burning tobacco and tar, but their relative novelty means doctors remain uncertain about the health effects.

　　The health authorities have still to decide whether they are of benefit to users by getting them off conventional cigarettes or a threat because they deliver addictive nicotine. The Department of Health said that they were not regulated as medicines because they were marketed as smoking alternatives rather than aids to quit. And they don't fall under tobacco legislation because they don't contain any tobacco.

　　It said they were by default covered by general product safety regulations enforced by the National Consumer Agency (NCA).

　　However, the NCA said electronic cigarettes containing nicotine were the responsibility of the Department of Health and/or the Irish Medicines Board.

　　The Irish Medicines Board said it considered them nicotine-delivery systems, which would make them medicinal products that could only be sold in pharmacies. But the lack of regulation has led the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland to instruct its members not to sell them in pharmacies. They are now on sale in many convenience stores and supermarkets around the country, including major retailers such as Supervalu.

　　Alex Pescar, who sells the Ovale and Ecirette brands in his Dublin store said sales had trebled in the past year.

　　"The key reason people start using them is that they want to quit, as we see a surge of new faces in January," he said. "The other big reason is the cost of smoking cigarettes is so high that people are turning to these as a cheaper alternative."

　　Dubliner Alec MacNeil said he had noticed a huge improvement in his energy levels and general health since switching to electronic cigarettes six months ago.

　　The impact has also been felt in his wallet, as he is spending €6 a week on them compared to €60 a week for his former 20-a-day habit.

　　"I was cautious about using them initially because of the absence of regulation but I had tried everything else to quit, and now I wish these had been out years ago," he said. Enditem