A new report on ecigarettes by the science and technology MPs’ committee has recommended that rules around vaping should be relaxed so that they can be used more widely and be more accepted in society, as well as saying that because vaping is much less harmful than actually smoking these devices should be made available on prescription to help people ditch the cigs.
According to the BBC, the committee believes that ecigarettes are overlooked too often by the NHS as a way to help people quit smoking, saying that it is unacceptable that one-third of the 50 NHS mental health trusts to be found in England actually ban their use on their premises when there’s a “negligible health risk” from second-hand vapour.
At the moment, around 2.9 million people here in the UK use ecigarettes and it’s thought that some 470,000 people are currently using them to help them quit smoking. And not only that but tens of thousands are successfully quitting smoking each and every year because of ecigarette use.
The report called for a relaxation of regulations and tax duties on ecigs to better reflect the relative health benefits, as well as a debate on vaping in public places like in offices and public transport, ecigs licensed as medical devices and greater freed for the industry to advertise their products.
Chairman of the science and technology committee Norman Lamb was quoted by the news source as saying: “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, ecigarettes could be a key weapon in the NHS’s stop-smoking arsenal.”
At the start of this month (August), however, it was reported that the government is actually considering introducing a tax on ecigarettes as a way of funding the additional £20 billion that the Treasury promised the NHS, with the announcement possibly going to be made in the Autumn Budget.
According to the Sun, bringing in a five per cent tax on the three million vapers here in the UK could drive around £40 million in revenue, with a source saying that vapers are likely to be targeted because at the moment they’re not being taxed in any way.
The average person who smokes 20 cigarettes a day spends over £3,700 a year on fags – but a vaper will usually spend about £275 a year on average on vape juice flavours and other products for their ecigarettes. This suggested ‘sin tax’ would add £13.75 to their overall spend.
Now might well be the time to stock up on a few flavours so you can avoid paying extra tax in the near future. Check out our website now to see if there are any new fluids that might tickle your pickle.