U.K. Public Health Department endorses e-cigarettes, but what does that mean for vape advocates?

This is great news, the UK is the second largest vaping market in the world!

 

"E-cigarettes are healthier than smoking" says Health England.

 

In a statement released on 18th August 2015 Public Health England stated "Not only are e-cigarettes 95% less dangerous than tobacco, they are also among the most effective quitting aids. If all of England's eight million smokers switched to e-cigarettes overnight more than 75,000 lives a year would be saved".

 

This is nothing short of GREAT news and shows a definite shift in the mindset of key players, but unfortunately we are not quite out of the water yet! Although this is a massive tell of how the culture is changing, they also stated that they would want e-cigarette products to be restricted to prescription... Not exactly ideal.

 

There are millions of vape advocates around the world working relentlessly to keep the pressure on those who have been blinkered to the true benefits of e-cigs, and breakthrough moments like this shows us all that the hard work is not a lost cause (even though sometimes it feels like it is). But as our battle for freedom is strengthened by data and validation we need to continue to be hardened in our approach, and we need to remember that we WILL NOT settle for a second tier negotiation.

 

Yes it is great that officials are beginning to understand how e-cigarettes can affect smokers, and yes it is great that they are publicly mentioning this, but if we are to allow the sale of nicotine e-juices to be controlled by doctors alone, there is no doubt that the NZ vape market will be settling for second best.

 

E-juices and e-cigarettes should be readily available!

 

There should definitely be standards. We need to be sure vaping products are restricted to minors, and we should be sure we are offering the NZ vapers products that have proven their quality. Most NZ vape vendors would agree on that. But we should also be sure that we are creating easy access of these products to any smoker or adult who might otherwise pick up a cigarette. By restricting e-cigs and/or e-juice to a prescription product we will never see the full potential of what these wonder products can do. Most people who would kick the cigarettes with e-cigs would not necessecarily visit the doctor before purchasing a product. Every person we have the potential to reach but miss… Is a fail - Prescription policy would only create missed opportunities.

 

So... Lets just make sure we are clear. The statement put out in the UK is a GREAT step in the right direction, but let's see it for what it is; a step. Keep up the good work and keep the noise levels right up! We ARE being heard, and we ARE making progress. The progress will continue!

Source : articlesbase.com