Sir, – In "Government prepared to take action on e-cigarettes if shown to be harmful" (December 30th), Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Dr James Reilly asserts that the Government will take action against e-cigarettes "if it gets evidence they are damaging to health", and then says "the evidence is starting to pile up". So which is it? As someone who smoked for many years, and who finally quit with the aid of e-cigarettes, and as one who has lost friends and acquaintances to smoking-related illnesses, I would really like to know. He obviously has little faith in Britain's department of health, which has endorsed their use, and perhaps hasn't yet heard of the Move group (Medical Organizations Supporting Vaping and Electronic Cigarettes). He expresses concern that e-cigarettes "could become a gateway to traditional nicotine consumption", by which I assume he means tobacco smoking. On what evidence does he base his concerns?
In my experience, the opposite is the case. – Yours, etc,
EDDIE SMYTH,
Slane, Co Meath.