Vapes should not become an ‘acceptable’ addiction like alcohol and gambling
White Paper Summary:
Vapes must be restricted for adults as well as children to prevent them becoming an ‘acceptable’ mainstream addiction like alcohol or gambling.
A new nicotine economy is being deliberately created under the guise of helping smokers quit, with the aim that nicotine vapes and pouches become just another ‘acceptable’ societal addiction like alcohol and gambling - as cigarettes still, sadly, remain. It must be stopped in its tracks.
Vapes should be to cigarettes as methadone is to heroin - an important treatment for a harmful addiction, in this case preventing millions of deaths from smoking - but not a product to be taken in its own right. They have a place in helping smokers quit, but because of their own addictive qualities and negative mental and physical health impacts, should be strenuously prevented as a lifestyle product for recreational use.
We fear that government attention is too focused on the ‘SmokeFree by 2030’ policy agenda to take this seriously and the impact on non-smoking vapers, particularly young adults, children and society as a whole, is being deliberately downplayed, even ignored.
High profile campaigning from ASH (Action on Smoking and Health (UK) and Public Health England Tobacco Control Programme is fixated on ensuring smokers are not put off vaping by negative media coverage on harms and proposals on flavour bans packaging changes resisted. Their outsized influence, together with the lobbying efforts of vaping companies and retailers, means the UK is failing to really understand and get a grip on the new nicotine economy being created around vapes and it’s future impact.
It is clear that young people must have a voice here and a separate prevention and cessation strategy developed with and for them. This is currently not part of government policy, or included in its recent consultation. A multi-stakeholder approach to this is essential.
Government policy must now switch its priorities and regulate vapes for all to prevent a new harmful nicotine economy being entrenched. They can do this whilst giving support to smokers (with the NHS Swap to Stop, more widespread clinical interventions, promotion and other support for smokers).
Smokers are being patronised by these policies. They understand that their own needs and concerns about recreational vaping in young people are different problems requiring different solutions. They also understand the grip of nicotine, and those we spoke to are very clear they don’t want young people’s future health on their conscience and want the government to act now to prevent a new generation of nicotine addicts like themselves.
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More detail on our recommendations and these conclusions is in the White Paper:
Recommendation 1
Vapes should be to cigarettes how methadone is to heroin, and non-pharma approaches should be promoted more clearly.
Recommendation 2
Vapes should be sold like cigarettes with plain packaging, limited flavours & restrict availability
Recommendation 3
Vapes should be phased out with cigarettes with a short lag timeRecommendation 4
Lifestyle marketing of vapes should be prohibited to all adults as well as children.
Recommendation 5
The focus on helping smokers quit ignores the issues for young adult and child non-smokers - bespoke prevention and cessation help should be created urgently.
Here again are the recommendations in detail:
Please contact Hilary Sutcliffe on hilary@societyinside.com or telephone 07799 625064
