E-cigarettes Can Be Key Weapon In Battle Against Smoking, Insist MPs

Rules around e-cigarettes should be relaxed to help accelerate already declining smoking rates, MPs have said. Vaping is less harmful than conventional smoking and strawberry lemonade vape juice the two should not be treated as the same, according to a report by the Science and Technology Committee (STC). There should be an urgent review to make it easier for e-cigarettes to be made available on prescription, "wider debate" on vaping in public spaces, and greater freedom for the industry to advertise the devices as a less harmful option for smokers, they said.

However the recommendations have been criticised by some public health experts, with one saying the report relies solely on accounts by "e-cig champions". The report's release comes days after scientists warned that the perception that e-cigarettes are safe should be treated with caution. Research led by the University of Birmingham found the vapourised e-liquid fluid in e-cigarettes has a similar effect on the lungs and body that is seen in regular cigarette smokers and patients with chronic lung disease.

The Government has said it will "carefully consider" the evidence and vape juice online recommendations made by the STC. Norman Lamb, the committee's chairman, said that current policy and regulations do not "sufficiently reflect" the lesser harm posed by e-cigarettes than their conventional alternatives. "Businesses, transport providers and public places should stop viewing conventional and e-cigarettes as one and the same," he said. "There is no public health rationale for doing so. "Concerns that e-cigarettes could be a gateway to conventional smoking, including for young non-smokers, have not materialised.

"If used correctly, e-cigarettes could be a key weapon in the NHS stop-smoking arsenal." Public Health England (PHE) has estimated that e-cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than smoking. 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. The MPs called for debate on vaping in public places (Peter Byrne/ PA) Mr Lamb said: "Medically licensed e-cigarettes would make it easier for doctors to discuss and recommend them as a stop smoking tool to aid those quitting smoking.

"The approval systems for prescribing these products must be urgently reviewed." Smoking is the leading cause of premature death in the UK & is responsible for half of the health gap between the poorest and most affluent communities. Creating a smokefree NHS is one key way for us to secure a smokefree generation in England. More: website pic.twitter.com/vicosVIEmp - Public Health England (@PHE_uk) August 16, 2018 The report also called for limits on refill strengths and tank sizes, which may put off heavy smokers looking for a strong nicotine hit, to be reviewed.

Meanwhile, NHS England's "default" policy should be that e-cigarettes are permitted on mental health units, to address the "stubbornly high" levels of smoking among people with mental health conditions, the report said. Around 2.9 million people in the UK are currently using e-cigarettes, with an estimated 470,000 using them as an aid to stop smoking, according to the report. Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE, said: "E-cigarettes are not without harm but are way safer than the harms of tobacco.

"This is about comparing e-cigarettes to normal cigarettes, not fresh air. "The UK leads the world in harm reduction from tobacco and there is no evidence that they are acting as a gateway into smoking for young people." Alison Cook, director of policy at the British Lung Foundation (BLF), said the report "provides clarity on the potential" of the devices. "The choice to switch to e-cigarettes must be made easier," she added.