Vaping is safer than traditional cigarettes, and e-cigarettes should be included in the law to help more people quit smoking.
The report also calls on the government to consider allowing vaping in public places.
PHE has confirmed there is no evidence that e-cigarettes cause young people to smoke.
The MPs science and technology committee's report on e-cigarettes says the NHS has overlooked the potential of vaping as a smoking cessation tool.
For example, they say that a third of the 50 NHS health centres in England that have banned e-cigarettes, over concerns about the smoke affecting patients, is unacceptable.
What else do MPs say?
In the report, they asked:
Freedom to advertise products in mass media for e-cigarettes.
Relax regulations and reduce taxes on e-cigarettes.
Annual review of the health effects of e-cigarettes and HNB products.
Discuss vaping in public.
Medical device licensing for electronic cigarettes.
Reconsider the nicotine concentration for the e-liquid and the tank capacity.
Unban SNUS.
How popular is vaping?
There are currently around 2.9 million people using e-cigarettes in the UK.
An estimated 470,000 people are using vapes to quit smoking, and tens of thousands of people successfully quit each year.
Although the report also acknowledged that the long-term effects of e-cigarettes are still unknown, it still asserted that vaping is much less harmful than traditional cigarettes because it does not contain tar and carbon monoxide.
“Current policy and regulation does not reflect this, and businesses, transport and public places should stop equating vaping with conventional cigarettes,” said Norman Lamb, chair of the science and technology committee.
“If used properly, vaping can be a strategic weapon in the war against tobacco.”
Medical device designation for vapes would make it “easier for physicians to discuss and use them with patients who want to quit smoking,” Lamb said.
Controversy over e-cigarettes
The report is the latest in a debate about e-cigarettes and their effects.
The report comes after a study suggested vaping could affect cells in the immune system.
A small study by Professor David Thickett of the University of Birmingham concluded that vaping can cause lung damage. Of course, he said more detailed research is needed to know the long-term effects of e-cigarettes.
A survey in Scotland found that young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to use tobacco later.
And in Wales, parents are worried about their children using e-cigarettes regularly.
But a six-month trial in a prison on the Isle of Man found that allowing inmates to vape made them calmer and helped them quit smoking.
Places you can't vape
E-cigarettes are not subject to the same ban as cigarettes, so you can use them in office environments and public places (you should choose the right device so as not to affect people around you).
To encourage smokers to take up vaping, PHE has suggested that e-cigarettes should not be banned in places such as offices, closed rooms or public places.
“Vapes,” experts say, “should be a safer and more convenient option.”
But there are some places that still ban vaping.
For example, Transport for London has banned the use of e-cigarettes on buses and the underground. You also can't vape at train stations or on trains.
Cinema chains such as Cineworld, Odeon and Empire have banned e-cigarettes from their premises, while others have outright banned their use.
Most airlines and airports also ban the use of e-cigarettes in lounges, unless it is a designated smoking area.
What is the purpose of MPs reporting?
PHE claims e-cigarettes are 95% safer than regular cigarettes.
“E-cigarettes may not be completely harmless, but they are at least safer than traditional cigarettes,” said PHE chief executive Duncan Selbie.
Action on Tobacco and Health welcomed the report, but said it still needed to consider changing advertising laws, as it would mean tobacco companies would also be allowed to advertise openly.
Any changes to current e-cigarette laws should aim to “help smokers quit while preventing young people from being exposed to e-cigarettes,” said George Butterworth, from Cancer Research UK.
