Vaping in the UK could be banned later this year, with recommendations coming from the World Health Organisation.
Will WHO Ban vaping?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) are back on the battle against E Liquids and Vaping. The recommendations set out by the World Health Organisation could lead to vaping being banned in the UK. WHO wants to prohibit vaping and certain e-cigarettes due to their fears that users can replace ingredients in their device with other harmful substances.
Vaping in the UK could be banned later this year, with recommendations coming from the World Health Organisation.
It seems like WHO are concerned that particular vapes allow their users to either add other ingredients to their E Liquid and or add any liquid they want to it. This could then make whatever liquid substance being inhaled causing harm. If this is their concern than it could mean that there is only a possibility of a ban on vaping devices where users can refill pods, tanks and Rebuild-able Dripping Atomizer. This could mean that pre-filled pods manufactured by E Liquid firms would be safe.
A report published recently which was commissioned by PHE (Public Health England) found that smoking still remains the largest single risk factor for death and ill-health in the United Kingdom. Many vaping and E Liquid companies such as Jumponthevape find it hard to understand why WHO and Governments are so against vaping. Research and case studies shows that Vaping is 97% safer than smoking. By banning Vaping this would encourage people to smoke. Why is there not more being done to prevent people smoking, surely the most logical thing to do would be to ban the most dangerous to prevent further smoking related health problems.
What if Vaping is banned?
If the decision is made to ban E Liquids and vaping devices this would mean 2.4 million vapers across the UK will be forced to find an alternative. With the majority of vapers being ex smokers, this could lead to frustrated people returning to smoking. Experts have condemned the idea of banning e-cigarettes as this would increase health risks such as cancer that as we all know can lead to death.
A tobacco harm expert and the former director of anti-smoking group ASH, Clive Bates sees this proposal as being ‘completely irrepressible and bizarre. Clive Bates has also recently spoken out about the Netherlands negligently becoming allies of the cigarette trade.
If the UK Government considers banning vaping this would mean they are protecting the cigarette trade by encouraging smoking which will lead to health problems as we have previously discussed. It would also mean that over 2000 UK vaping businesses will be affected.
Research carried out by King’s College London found that vaping and e-cigarette devices play a crucial role in helping people quit smoking, vaping products have shown to be the most effective quit aids available. Their 2017 research has shown that vaping helps an estimate of 50,000 people quit smoking a year, had the media and other sources hadn’t spread fear of vaping than many more thousands would have taken steps to become smokefree.
There have been many incorrect perceptions of health risks that have come out about vaping that have discouraged people from using e-cigarettes as an alternative to smoking. We’ve heard of vape devices exploding, this was due to poor battery safety being carried out by users. We’ve also in the past couple of years heard about American vapers becoming hospitalized, well again this was not covered properly as we later found out that this was people using illegal THC liquids with their devices, though the media did not want to take the opportunity to clear this up. We’re sure in time there will be more inaccurate stories to come out to taint vaping.
When will the decision be made?
Details of the potential ban have started to emerge and it looks like it may be restricted to ‘open system vapes’ this is where the user has control of what liquids can be used in the device, though we will need to wait and see what the whole report from WHO’s tobacco regulatory committee
The recommendation has been forwarded to Governments around the world and it looks like the Netherlands are possibly the first to make this move of backing the cigarette trade. E-cigarettes are already banned in at least 30 countries and there could be more following suit.
WHO has previously said that they have ‘no doubt’ that e-cigarettes are harmful but said it was too early to see any evidence of this. Yet they are fully aware of the long term impact of smoking and their efforts have not gone towards banning smoking.
WHO has made other statements such as; there’s a risk of the devices leaking, or of children swallowing the liquid, and have been known to cause serious injuries through fires and explosions.
They have said that for tobacco users looking to quit, there were other safer and licensed products, such as nicotine replacement patches and gums and dependence treatments. Unfortunately most people who have tried to quit smoking have tried these methods and found these a waste of money and not effective, this is why people are making the move from smoking to vaping.
In Britain, public health officials say vaping is 97 percent safer than smoking and encourage those trying to quit tobacco to try e-cigarettes.
We will have to wait and see what the results are, this potential ban was detailed in a report published by WHO's tobacco regulatory committee, and it will be discussed in Glasgow later this year.
