Public Health England is the government department responsible for all aspects of England’s public health. PHE have submitted findings to Parliament which include allowing vaping at work and e cigarettes being available on NHS prescriptions.

Public Health England earlier this year announced their findings regarding vaping and smoking harm as part of a dedicated review. They found that vaping was at least 95% less harmful than smoking tobacco cigarette is. There is a presumption that the remaining 5% will be decided upon after studies of a longer length have been completed.

In addition to this announcement PHE have made a number of recommendations. They believe vaping will be the “key weapon” utilised by the NHS in order to cut smoking-related deaths and ongoing smoking-related health issues. These include cancers and pulmonary diseases.

E Cigarette NHS Prescriptions

Public Health England recommends that e cigarettes should be available onNHS prescription. This would be as part of the ongoing battle against smoking and to support smokers in quitting for good where other methods have previously been unsuccessful. There have been a number of reports which back up vaping as a suitable alternative to smoking from the vaper’s point of view. Vaping enables smokers to continue to enjoy the hand to mouth action of smoking, the relaxation, the *nicotine content and all without the harm that tobacco cigarettes cause. These factors contribute to the success of vaping as a cessation device and as such switching should be encouraged and facilitated say PHE.

One NHS trusts already offer a one-time £25 vaping voucher to be used locally in order to buy a basic e cigarette starter kit and e liquids as part of the Stop Smoking clinic. The success of the initial trial was so great that this particular NHS trust decided to continue with the scheme. It was clearly beneficial in helping reduce smoking numbers.

E Cigarettes and Tobacco Cigarettes Are Not the Same

The parliamentary Science and Technology Committee(STC) have reported that smoking and vaping are nothing alike. With this in mind, PHE has asked for retailers to be allowed to register e cigarettes for medical use. As they are very different vaping is not currently included under the legislation which formed the 2007 Go Smoke Free ban. This ban made it illegal to smoke at work, on public transport and in public places such as concert halls, pubs and cafes. While it is not illegal to vape in any of these place there are still restrictions in place and vaping is generally recognised as not being permitted.

Some MPs are calling for great freedoms for vaping alongside additional awareness campaigns as it is believed that increase the accessibility of vaping will make it more attractive to smokers. This, in turn, will likely make them more likely to switch over. These changes will have a positive effect on smoking numbers and lower the instances of premature death due to tobacco cigarette-related illness.

Norman Lamb, the STC committee chair has indicated that while the evidence points overwhelmingly to vaping being significantly healthier than smoking the UK law, legislation and individual policies do not reflect this. What this means is that and this may limit vaping somewhat and reduce the number of people likely to take it up. As there is no good reason for vaping to be governed and perceived as it is it has been suggested that a loosening of regulations and the NHS adoption of vaping will make a huge difference in terms of harm reduction.

In Summary

The jury is still out for some in terms of long-term vaping effects, Action on Smoking & Health is keen for the recommendations regarding vaping on the NHS and a loosening of restrictions to go ahead. Many wonder what this will mean in terms of TPD regulations if anything.
While “uncertainties” remain about the long-term health impact of the devices, they present “an opportunity to significantly accelerate already declining smoking rates”, the committee of MPs said.

It will be interesting to see how parliament vote in terms of adopting vaping officially and lifting other restrictions in place. The end goal of this will be to speed up the current decline in smoking numbers.

*Nicotine is believed to be addictive and it alters the taste of cigarettes and e liquids. Nicotine itself is not considered harmful to health. Those looking to reduce or eliminate nicotine use may do so gradually (e  juice comes in varying strengths). Vapers may also choose zero nicotine e liquid.