Vaping legislation is a hot topic worldwide at the moment as many choose to vape over smoking.
2018 is sure to have the vaping community at the edge of their seats as governments decide its fate. It seems that a lot countries seem to categorise vaping as tobacco and clump it in with cigarettes. This makes no sense as the products contain no tobacco. The vaping community is justifiably outraged.
While the UK is embracing e-cigarettes and even promoting it as a successful cessation tool during Stoptober, countries like Brazil, Singapore, Thailand and Australia choose to prohibit it.
“The results are clear in the UK where smoking is at an all time low”
Fact is that not every smoker wants to quit and there are equally as many who haven’t had any success quitting after trying the conventional methods such as nicotine patches. Harsh restrictions on vaping products will scare smokers from switching or becoming dual users and thus curtailing harm reduction. Research shows that switching can save up to 6.6 million lives in the US alone. Other studies have shown that vaping poses no short-or long-term health dangers and it’s also been proven to be the best cessation tool that exist at the moment.
Canada is looking to restrict e-liquid flavours so not to make vaping appealing to the youth. Again, there is research that found no link that it is a gateway to smoking for the youth. It actually shows quite the contrary since smoking rates is at an all-time low amongst teenagers.
No-one is claiming that vaping doesn’t contain harmful chemicals, but it is 95% less harmful than cigarettes. It’s been shown that nicotine, found in cigarettes and some e-liquids, although it can be addictive, is not detrimental to health. One of the benefits of switching is that it does not contain the known cancer-causing chemicals found in cigarettes.
It comes down to looking at the facts.
Smoking kills 20 000 people worldwide per day and the public is desperate for a solution to the smoking epidemic the world has on its hands.
By prohibiting and placing tight restriction on vaping, governments are stonewalling a solution and for some people a life-saving tool.
