The Whisperer

Lest some people forget, Bahrain’s customs still has the vapours about electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and the products have been banned from entering the island.
One of the Whisperer’s friends, however, forgot the ruling and ended up causing a ruckus at her place of work.

She wanted to be a good wife and help her husband snub out the disgusting habit of smoking normal cigarettes by purchasing an alternative aid online.

After a month of waiting for the vaporiser to arrive, she received a call from management asking whether she had purchased a device and tried to ship it into the kingdom through the office address.

Pleased with herself she responded with an enthusiastic ‘yes’ only to be told that the poor fellow picking up the office parcels from the post office had been held in custody by customs for one hour over the matter. She was told to report to the post office with a form.

She rushed to Muharraq after one colleague suggested she might be taken in for questioning unless she acted quickly.  Upon her arrival, she watched as the form made its way from one supervisor to the next only to be asked after a long, anxious wait: “Why are you here?”

When she explained what had happened the officer informed her that the form was only for her information, that the product has been destroyed and to never do it again. That wait and drive alone will teach her to never try again.

Although electronic cigarettes are popular in Europe with people trying to kick the smoking habit, concern has been voiced that youngsters are being introduced to nicotine because the devices have become a teenage trend and the American Lung Association is concerned about the potential health consequences of e-cigarettes, as well as the unproven claims that they can be used to help smokers quit. Presently, there is no US government oversight of these products.

Early studies show that e-cigarettes contain nicotine and other harmful chemicals, including carcinogens. The Surgeon General has found that nicotine has negative health impacts on fetal development and adolescent brain development. Nicotine is believed to contribute to increased incidence of premature birth and low birth weight. Research has also shown a negative impact on pulmonary function in newborns, an issue of paramount concern to the Lung Association.