A panel of experts has told Scottish politicians that vaping is good for public health and should be embraced as a smoking cessation tool.
Scotland is still dithering over how to use e-cigarettes as a way to achieve the lofty ambitions of a smoke free generation by 2034.
Political magazine Holyrood and the Scottish Grocers’ Federation have teamed up to discuss the issue, alongside those really in the know.
The resulting ‘round table‘ seems to have helped those anti-vaping Scottish politicians get a greater understanding of just how safe and incredibly useful vaping is to help smokers quit.
After hearing the real science from experts such as the awesome Professor Lion Shahbab – he of the famous cotton wool smoking vs vaping test video – some of the doubters may have had their collective eyes opened.
For instance, and on the matter of vaping being a danger to lung health, Professor Shahbab said:
THERE ARE AROUND 40 MILLION USERS OF E-CIGARETTES AND E-CIGARETTES HAVE BEEN USED SINCE 2005… AND THERE’S VERY LITTLE REPORT OF ANY LUNG DISEASES OTHERWISE OCCURRING, GIVEN THIS LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVING USED E-CIGARETTES FOR THIS LENGTH OF TIME.
SO, IF THERE WERE ANY SERIOUS CONCERNS WITH REGARDS LUNG HEALTH, ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THEY WOULD START TO BE PICKED UP BY NOW.
MY BELIEF IS, IF YOU LOOK AT THE IMPACT E-CIGARETTES HAVE ON SMOKING CESSATION RATES AT POPULATION LEVEL, TAKEN TOGETHER WITH RELATIVELY REDUCED RISK OF HARM ASSOCIATED WITH E-CIGARETTE USE, AS WELL AS THE LACK OF EVIDENCE THAT E-CIGARETTES – EITHER IN THE US OR THE UK – ARE A GATEWAY TO SMOKING FOR ADOLESCENTS, THAT THEY ARE LIKELY TO BE A PUBLIC HEALTH GOOD.
The discussion also included Mark Oates, the director of We Vape – a UK based vaping advocacy group.
He told the discussion group that vaping not only saved smokers lives, but money too:
THE PRICE IS A MAJOR POINT.
SMOKING IS INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE. IT CAUSES MASSIVE INEQUALITY.
I’VE BEEN DOING SOME WORK ON THE EFFECT THAT SMOKING COST HAS ON INEQUALITY IN THE UK, BOTH HEALTH AND ON FINANCIALS, AND VAPING CAN PUT £2,000 TO £3,000 A YEAR INTO SOME OF THE POOREST PEOPLE IN THE UK’S POCKETS.
Former smoker SNP MSP Richard Lyle reckons it’s about time more smokers were urged to make the switch to vaping adding:
I’M NOT KNOCKING ANYONE WHO SMOKES.
WE’VE GOT TO TRY AND SEE WHAT WORKS FOR PEOPLE.
PEOPLE HAVE DONE PATCHES, PEOPLE HAVE DONE CHEWING GUM, I’VE DONE ALL THAT.
BUT BASICALLY, VAPING IS THE ANSWER AND HOW WE GET PEOPLE TO MOVE ON TO THAT.
The Scottish Government acknowledges that vaping is a ‘possible‘ route out of smoking and it’s hoped more discussions like this one will finally get them to accept what we all know – vaping is not only safer it works as a smoking cessation aid too.