“The Committee’s report – Polosa said – recognizes that, although e-cig are not without risk, smokers who switch completely to vape substantially reduce the likelihood of premature death and disability caused by conventional cigarette smoking”.
Nearly 3 million people in the UK are currently using electronics, and an estimated 470,000 people are quitting because of them.
In the press release issued by the committee in recent days it reads: “Electronic cigarettes, estimated at 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes, are too often neglected as a tool to stop smoking. Regulations should be reconsidered in relation to the opportunities provided, the prescription and the publicity of their health benefits. Furthermore, the level of taxation and use in public places must be reconsidered ”.
British parliamentarians warn: “Wrong ideas on electronic cigarettes eliminate the opportunity for the government to effectively address one of the leading causes of death”.
In the report, the Committee examines current evidence on the harmfulness of electronic cigarettes compared to conventional cigarettes and analyzes policies on vape, concluding that electronic cigarettes should not be treated in the same way as conventional cigarettes. The committee also notes that electronic cigarettes do not represent a significant gateway to smoking for non-smoking young people.
In a series of formal requests, the experts ask the government to:
Consider a risk-based regulation that is reflected in different levels of taxation and different approaches to advertising based on the actual risk of the products;
Reconsider the use of e-cig in public places, and review the limits on the size and nicotine content of liquids;
Support a long-term research program also supervised by Public Health England;
Extend the search also to heated tobacco products;
Review the current government ban on the sale and use of snus.
Finally, Norman Lamb MP, chairman of the scientific and technological committee, said: “Smoking remains a national health crisis and the government should consider innovative ways to reduce the rate of smoking. Electronic cigarettes are less harmful than conventional cigarettes, but current policies and regulations do not sufficiently reflect this, and businesses, transport service providers and public places should stop considering conventional cigarettes as being the same thing. There are no public health reasons for doing so. “