A new report by the Royal College of Physicians has urged the government not to ban flavoured vapes.
‘E-cigarettes and harm reduction An evidence review’ analysed the role of e-cigerattes as an alternative to smoking, looking at trends, effectiveness, regulations and discouraging use among young people.
It advised that a range of flavours should be available to facilitate quitting among adults who are using e-cigarettes to quit smoking.
The report also recommended that “a register of tobacco and nicotine retailers should be established along with requiring age verification and meaningful sanctions for breaching the law, with the aim of limiting access to young people”, and that regulations on advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes should be introduced to restrict online platforms, content generators and point-of-sale advertising to limit advertising of e-cigarette products to young people.
Director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) John Dunne welcomed the report. “We are absolutely on the same page as the RCP in looking at doing everything to discourage young people and never smokers from taking up vapes and focussing on ensuring as many of the 6.4 million smokers that remain in the UK make quit attempts using vape devices.
“There are two sides to our industry – the legitimate one (the majority) and the illegal one (the minority). The former wants to do what vaping was intended for originally – to support smokers to give up their habits and drastically reduce the exposure to the harm associated with conventional cigarettes by taking up vapes which have been approved for sale in the UK by the regulators. I know that I speak for the good side of the industry in welcoming ongoing research that the RCP is recommending to ensure smokers and vapers feel reassured about the relative safety of the category versus smoking.”
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