Not a good idea
E-cigarettes, I believe, are simply an alternative way to consume nicotine (‘E-cigarettes ban in UAE goes up in smoke,’ Gulf News, May 6). It is now an established fact that it adopts almost all the bad effects of smoking a normal cigarette, be it lung damage or the spread of carcinogens. The marketing of e-cigarettes in various flavours entices even non-smokers, which results in promoting smoking, rather than curbing it. Besides stringent penalties for trading, there must also be educational campaigns aimed at informing our youth about the pitfalls and dangers of e-cigarettes. Shifting to e-cigarettes to quit smoking is like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
From Mr A.M. Jalal Al Deen
Dubai
Ban smoking in public
Why don’t the authorities also consider banning smoking in public? Many major countries have taken this initiative. E-cigarettes at least do not lead to passive smoking - something that is even more dangerous and affects both the smoking and non-smoking public in the UAE. E-cigarettes seem to be a better option than regular ones in this light; though both are known to be carcinogenic and neither one can be said to be better than the other. However, for the general public, I think the latter is worse. At the very least, I, being a non-smoker, would like public consumption of all tobacco products banned.
From Mr Nandith
Dubai
Website comment
A good alternative
Harm reduction should be the policy. E-cigarettes help smokers stop smoking and should be legal here like they are in other countries. It’s better to have people stop inhaling tobacco smoke first - anything is better than that.
From Mr Jeff Bustlethwaite
Dubai
Website comment
Healthier lifestyle
This sounds absurd. Why can’t people get rid of their nicotine dependency? The UAE has enormous opportunities for everyone to lead a healthy life.
From Mr Khurshid Qazi
Dubai
Website comment
On the road
Is it just me or is driving behaviour becoming worse as summer approaches? If so, I fear for our lives in the months ahead, when the bristling heat of the sun is sure to hit motorists head on and drive them to lunacy in their rush to get to their destinations. On three different occasions, I have seen pedestrians run for their lives as motorists threaten to drive them off the roads at zebra crossings. Indicators are completely ignored, and erratic lane-changing is common. Sometimes I wonder if motorists have gone to driving school at all!
From Ms Sophie Vita
Sharjah
No hope for change
Pakistan is seeing an increase in violence leading up to the elections and ordinary people are paying a high price. The reality is that due to the political parties’ poor performances in the past and the current economic disaster, people have very little hope or interest in the elections. Two leading parties, the Pakistan Political Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have already ruled the country twice respectively and people believe that a third term for either would not bring about a change in their fortunes. The lack of peace and build-up of political tensions has added further misery to the lives of the people.
From Mr Khawaja Omar Farooq
Saudi Arabia
Keep them clean
I am a huge fan of charity boxes, as they are an easy way for the public to donate to the less privileged. However, lately I have noticed an accumulation of waste being deposited beneath these boxes and I am worried that this could become a place for rats to hide. My fears were confirmed as one day I saw five rats running out from beneath a collection box near my house. Something must be done to ensure regular cleaning is done under these boxes or the gathering of trash could lead to an influx of these bacteria-breeding rodents.
From Mr Masud O’toyinbo
Ajman
Disgusting habit
This a long-standing issue throughout the UAE which needs to be addressed by the authorities (‘Irresponsible residents taint building walls,’ Gulf News, May 5). Just look down where ever you are walking and you will see disgusting blobs of spit every two or three feet. I have seen people cough deep and spit in full view, and believe me, it gets me angry. The authorities must apprehend these violators, fine them and force them to clean up their spit.
From Mr Mahesh Devji
UAE
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