We know that smoking kills, but the debate over the electronic alternative, known as e-cigarettes or vaping, is just lighting up. In 2015, a British government agency reported that e-cigarettes can reduce the health risks of smoking by 95 per cent, because they deliver fewer harmful chemicals than regular cigarettes. A new study, published by the British Medical Journal's specialised Tobacco Control journal last week, appeared to contradict that evidence. It suggested that the use of e-cigarettes could be leading UK teenagers to try tobacco smoking.
Its findings showed that 34.4 per cent of teens surveyed who had never smoked cigarettes but had experimented with e-cigarettes, said that they had tried smoking cigarettes within a year. These headline figures seem to support the view that e-cigarettes can act as a "gateway drug" that inevitably and eventually leads the user to smoking tobacco
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Read more:
UAE excise tax ‘may lead to some products disappearing from shop shelves’
Don’t hold your breath
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Although the study's authors have urged caution in interpreting its results – they have noted that while e-cigarette use has increased in Britain, rates of smoking have continued to fall – its findings are troubling, especially considering the efforts being made by governments around the world to reduce smoking rates among young people. In the UAE, for example, tobacco use has been banned in public places in recent years, while an excise tax will see the cost of tobacco products rise significantly when it is introduced later this year.
Until now, the Government has adopted a tough stance against e-cigarettes, banning both their import and sale, despite evidence suggesting that these products are substantially safer than cigarettes or smoking shisha. Certainly, this study appears to support the Government's position. If vaping encourages someone into tobacco smoking, continued caution might be prudent.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
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