E-cigarettes should be FREE on the NHS – and vaping in the office allowed to slash smoking deaths
Vaping could be the "key weapon" in the health services stop-smoking arsenal, encouraging people to quit fags for good
E-CIGARETTES should be available free on the NHS - and smokers should be allowed to vape in the office, MPs have said.
Vaping could be the "key weapon" in the health service's stop-smoking arsenal, encouraging people to quit fags for good.
E-cigarettes are less harmful than conventional smoking and 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 available on prescription, a "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.
Public Health England has said e-cigarettes are 95 per cent less harmful than smoking but the long-term effects are not known.
Norman Lamb, chairman of the committee, said: "E-cigarettes are less harmful than conventional cigarettes, but current policy and regulations do not sufficiently reflect this and businesses, transport providers and public places should stop viewing conventional and e-cigarettes as one and the same.
"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 estimates suggest e-cigarettes are at least 95 per cent 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.
Mr Lamb added: "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."
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, added: "Today's call to improve the process to enable e-cigarettes to be licensed as medicines is extremely welcome.
"E-cigarettes have already helped many smokers to quit, but they could help many more.
"Licenced products could transform the public's understanding of e-cigarettes and help many more smokers see vaping as a viable alternative to smoking."
Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, said: "It is now well established in the public health community that the risks posed by e-cigarette use are substantially lower than from smoked tobacco.
"We are particularly pleased with calls that would speed up the licensing of e-cigarettes as medicines – potentially opening the door to thousands more smokers who would otherwise not consider vaping as a means of quitting.
"We would emphasise to any smoker considering switching that not only is vaping a far safer alternative, it is also likely to be much more affordable."
The report also called for limits on refill strengths and sizes in a bid to curb the amount of heavy smokers looking for a strong nicotine hit.
NHS England's "default" policy should allow e-cigarettes on mental health units to address "stubbornly high" levels of smoking among people with mental health conditions, the report said.
George Butterworth, from Cancer Research UK, said: "The evidence so far shows that e-cigarettes are far less harmful than tobacco."
Around 2.9 million Brits use e-cigarettes, and it's thought 470,000 use them as an aid to stop smoking.
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."
The report comes days after a study from the University of Birmingham's Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, warned the public "must be aware that these devices are not harmless".
Some of the effects are similar to those seen in smokers and people with chronic lung disease, the study found.
Researchers found e-cigs boosts the production of inflammatory chemicals in the body and the vapour kills protective cells in the lung that keep the air spaces clear of harmful bugs.
MORE ON E-CIGARETTES
Study leader Prof David Thickett said: "I don't believe e-cigarettes are more harmful than ordinary cigarettes.
"But we should have a cautious scepticism that they are as safe as we are being led to believe.
"They are safer in terms of cancer risk – but if you vape for 20 or 30 years and this can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, then that's something we need to know about."
The effects were worse when it contained nicotine.
Tony Lewis, head of policy at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, added: "Whilst we whole-heartedly support measures to encourage smokers to give up, we believe that the evidence gap on the long-term health implications of vaping needs addressing as a priority and more research carried out.
"Quite simply, until more is known it would be irresponsible to wholeheartedly embrace vaping as the answer."
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