It's 95% healthier than smoking.
The UK government are aiming to have the country smoke free by 2030. Vaping is critical to smoking cessation, and the IBVTA has launched a campaign to help make this aim a reality.
The Khan Review
In 2022 Javed Khan created a report with advice to help the government reach their ‘smoke free 2030’ goal. In this report, Khan highlighted the importance of vaping as a quit smoking tool. The global health professionals that he talked with all supported the view that “vaping is much safer than cigarettes and should be recommended”. He also stated: “in our efforts to help smokers quit, to dramatically decrease people’s risk of cancer, heart disease and strokes – vaping has to be an option”. Vaping isn’t 100% safe but Khan said “the alternative of smoking is far, far worse”.
Neil O’Brien’s Support Of Vaping
Health Minister Neil O’Brien gave a speech in 2023 about the government’s ambitions to reduce smoking in the UK. In this he said:
For adults, vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking and we now have high-quality evidence from Oxford University that compared to nicotine gum or patches, vapes are significantly more effective as a quit tool, but not more hazardous.
O’Brien, N (2023)
This is a clear show of support for vaping. However, in recent months, there has been a flurry of negative headlines regarding vaping.
Bad Press
Although the UK government, NHS, and Cancer Research UK endorse vaping, the media generally has a negative perception of e-cigarettes. In the years between 2017 and 2020, news stories with a cynical tone increased. This leapt from 12.6% to 34.2% in England and 18% to 64.6% in the USA.
A study conducted by Michael Landl of the World Vapers Alliance in 2022 revealed that, out of the global news stories monitored during a one-week period, 41% had a negative tone, while only 29% were positive. Similarly, a 6-month review of UK media sources by E-cigclick found that 53% of articles were negative, and only 15% were positive. This negative portrayal of vaping in the media could potentially harm society’s perception of it and impede its ability to help those who rely on it.
Smoke Free By 2030
The number of 18-year-olds who regularly smoked fell from 24.5% in 2021 to 19.5% in 2022, a 20% decrease in one year due to the role that vaping can play. Also, the number of adults who vape in Britain has risen to 4.7 million, up from 3.3 million in 2020. Out of these, approximately 57% (2.7 million) are former smokers.
The evidence clearly shows that we’re moving in the right direction. But if the government want to achieve the 2030 goal, more needs to be done.Vaping is critical to smoking cessation and should be promoted better, with less negativity from the mainstream media.
If you have any questions about vaping or need any help, feel free to contact us.
