The e-cigarette industry is essentially treading on eggshells. Despite its unprecedented growth, there are still some taboos regarding the health effects of nicotine on users. So what can be done?
Health officials from the RSPH – the world’s oldest public health organisation with over 6,000 members in the UK and around the world – have released a report calling for a ban on smoking in all public places including schools, pubs and restaurants. Across the UK, there is a movement calling for a more positive approach to e-cigarettes , rather than holding the fight against tobacco to the cause of most deaths in the UK. The RSPH has put the number of smoking-related deaths at 64,613.
RSPH has confirmed that nicotine is not a harmful substance!
The report is titled “Cessation of smoking using different forms of nicotine, with a focus on promoting the use of non-tobacco nicotine products, primarily e-cigarettes, to help smokers quit.”
“The evidence to date suggests that non-tobacco nicotine products are safer, and we should ensure that we use products to their full potential for smokers,” the report stated.
The RSPH believes a public education programme is needed to differentiate between the problems of nicotine and addiction. What many people don’t realise is that nicotine is as harmful as your morning coffee, and that it’s the chemicals such as tar and arsenic in cigarettes that are dangerous, not the nicotine. The report highlights this lack of communication and addresses the need for the NHS to close tobacco services to provide more help to people who want to end a habit they know is bad for their health.
The problem is that e-cigarettes are currently fully regulated, although the long-term health effects are still unknown. The RSPH says that while they want everyone to stop smoking, they understand that switching to nicotine through vapour rather than smoke will make a big difference to public health. The RSPH also advocates licensing all tobacco sellers so that local authorities can ban sales to any outlet that fails to comply with certain laws, such as age restrictions and display bans. An online survey of 2,072 adults by Populus found that they were concerned that nine out of 10 still consider nicotine to be harmful. The RSPH also calls for the compulsory sale of NRT in tobacco shops and for cigarettes to be renamed nicotine sticks and vaporizers to control tobacco products. The report is not too surprising to health officials because the number of e-cigarette users is at 2.6m, meaning 1 in 7 smokers.
In the quest to help smokers kick the habit, vaping could be the next best thing, and while it won’t eliminate the need for nicotine altogether, it will certainly help those who want to quit and are under pressure on the NHS. Public Health England – a government body – has been commissioned to review the evidence on the safety of e-cigarettes, the effects of smoking and e-cigarettes used at King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London. The results will be published in the next few months and identify immediate issues with the safety of e-cigarettes.
A voluntary ban has been explored in two squares in Bristol, as has Brighton Council. And Hove has started a voluntary ban in children’s play areas, as well as extending the ban to beaches and other open spaces. Not to mention the Welsh government has extended the smoking ban to enclosed public spaces and smoking is banned in vehicles carrying under-18s. The ban comes into effect from October this year.
Furthermore, the Department of Health in the UK said: "The best thing a smoker can do for their health is to quit completely. However, for those who are not ready to quit, the evidence shows that using e-cigarettes poses a greater health risk than smoking." They want to regulate non-tobacco nicotine products to ensure they are safe to use.
Hazel Cheeseman, Director of Policy at the health charity ASH, has been keen to hear the proposals from the RSPH, saying “scientists have known for years that it is tobacco smoke that kills, not nicotine. Unfortunately, this is not well understood by smokers, health professionals and the media, many of whom still think nicotine causes heart disease and cancer”.
The Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association (Ecita) has welcomed the recognition that e-cigarettes have a role to play in reducing the harm associated with smoking. For the first time, e-cigarette companies could be provided with the financial help they need. Ecita said: “Unfortunately, a lot of misinformation has been spread about e-cigarettes over the past few years. This has contributed significantly to the confusion and confusion that has grown around these products.”
And as predicted, the e-cigarette industry has scored high with the latest reports from RSPH and smoking will surely but slowly disappear!
