Free Ecigs For Smokers In UK Hospitals – EU Slams Vaping Again…And Toronto’s Tower Lit Up For Anti-Vaping Awareness Day [WTAF??!!]

The NHS is planning to offer free ecigs for smokers visiting a number of UK hospitals in the first of its kind trial.

Smokers visiting Accident and Emergency [A and E] departments will be offered a free ‘vape pack’ in the hope it will encourage them to quit smoking.

Those involved will be monitored closely and offered support and follow ups on their progress after 1 – 3 and 6 months. Others will only be offered leaflets explaining the safety of e-cigarettes compared to smoking, and those given free vape packs will have to fund their own once the samples have run out.

The study will last for 30 months and the hospitals included are:

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, the Royal London Hospital and Homerton University Hospital in London, Leicester Royal Infirmary and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

The scheme is co-lead by pro vaping health expert Professor Caitlin Notley from the University of East Anglia. I’m a massive fan of this lady who is without doubt fast becoming one of the leading experts in the field of vaping safety.

A quick search of my past articles show I’ve featured Professor Notley a lot, and little wonder given her detailed studies and continued pro-vaping stance.

She says it’s hoped the scheme may trigger smokers that have never considered vaping as a way to quit and show them the true facts surrounding them adding:

Many people who smoke want to quit, but find it difficult to succeed in the long term.

Electronic cigarettes mimic the experience of cigarette smoking because they are hand-held and generate a smoke-like vapour when used.

They can be an attractive option for helping people switch from smoking, even if they have tried and failed in the past.

We know that they are much less harmful than smoking tobacco, and that they have been shown to help smokers quit.

The lady once again speaks sense.

UK A and E departments can receive up to 25 million patients each year and schemes like free ecigs for smokers will have a major impact on tobacco harm reduction for sure.

The news has been welcomed by the wider vaping community, industry and advocacy groups.

Liam Humberstone, Technical Director at Totally Wicked said:

The announcement of the UEA led trial represents another milestone in the acceptance of vaping as a legitimate and effective means to quitting smoking.

While advertising restrictions prevent us from describing our products’ true purpose, the UK medical establishment is starting to recognise an empowerment that our customers have known about for some years now.

Whilst Gillian Golden, chief executive at the Independent British Vape Trade Association [IBVTA] welcomed the scheme adding:

As an advocate of vaping for quitting smoking of many years, I am thrilled to see the launch of this trial.

I have the privilege of representing a number of businesses, all completely independent of the tobacco industry, that have been instrumental in making the UK a world leader in the vape sector, specifically in driving down smoking rates through vaping.

This trial, and the involvement of the NIHR and the NHS, is a huge affirmation that our members’ tireless work over many years has been, and is worthwhile.

The UK currently has around 3.2 million vapers and there’s still around 7 million smokers.

Let’s hope this scheme and I’ve no doubt similar ones down the road will encourage even more smokers to quit or switch to 95% safer and healthier vaping.

EU Study Slams Vaping!

The EU SCHEER study into vaping has been released and it reckons there’s little or no evidence vaping helps smokers quit, risks from passive vaping is real, and quite staggeringly vaping is dangerous to the heart and lungs!

Yeah I know, slap me with a wet kipper and call me Nancy…to say the EU is about as anti-vaping as you can get is an understatement.

Move over the World Health Organization – you have a challenger for being the dumbest most dangerous anti-vape group on the planet.

Compare this vape news story to the one above and you’ll see just how divided the world opinion on the safety of vaping really is – scary if you think about it.

OK, the SCHEER study was open to all and called for experts and indeed the public, to submit studies and data into the pros and cons of vaping.

It appears the EU has been more than selective in its approach, and according to Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, it will have “dire consequences” for public health, and has ignored the true facts around vaping.

Among the findings the study says:

[There’s] a growing level of evidence from human data suggesting that electronic cigarettes have harmful health effects, especially but not limited to the cardiovascular system.

…due to exposure to acetaldehyde and formaldehyde and that weight of evidence for risk of poisoning and injuries due to burns and explosion is strong.

…there is weak to moderate weight of evidence for several risks related to second-hand exposure.

Overall, there is moderate evidence that electronic cigarettes are a gateway to smoking for young people and strong evidence that flavours have a relevant contribution for attractiveness of use of electronic cigarette and initiation.

On the other hand, there is weak evidence for the support of electronic cigarettes’ effectiveness in helping smokers to quit while the evidence on smoking reduction is assessed as weak to moderate.

I call total and absolute BS and all of those anti-vape claims have been countered with detailed scientific studies so many times it’s getting ridiculous now.

Ridiculous, but very scary indeed for the millions of vapers and of course smokers across Europe.

Michael Landl was scathing at the report and didn’t hold back:

This report is a tragedy for public health and will have dire consequences for smokers and vapers alike.

SCHEER ignores a large amount of scientific evidence on vaping, all of which was provided by experts and consumers to SCHEER during their consultation earlier this year. They chose to ignore it. This is a slap in the face of vapers and of common sense.

Countries like the UK and France are actively encouraging smokers to use vaping and switch to this less harmful alternative.

If the EU really wants to tackle smoking-related illnesses, it needs to look very carefully at all of the evidence.

Damage To Public Health

Unfortunately, the SCHEER report is biased against vaping, and its recommendations, if transposed into legislation, will damage public health.

It seems like the main objective has been overlooked: reducing the number of smokers and tackling smoking-induced illnesses.

Vaping is not smoking and must not be treated the same.

Regulation must be drafted in a way that encourages current smokers to switch.

The EU needs to focus on practical solutions to reduce harm and this major point is missing from the SCHEER analysis.

Vaping can help smokers quit, but this report ignores that and compares vaping to non-smoking.

So it is unsurprising that the results don’t echo reality.

Crazy scary times we’re living in…

Read the full SCHEER report.

Find out more about the work of the World Vapers Alliance.

and finally…Toronto Tower Lit Up To Promote Anti-Vaping Day!

As I wrote on Twitter after seeing this absolutely barmpot stunt…WTAF???

Even after searching for more info to see if this was a late April Fool, I still had to rub my eyes to see if I really was dreaming…

But nope…

The CN Tower in Toronto really was lit up in yellow and black lights to support the Anti-Vaping Awareness Day…never heard of it…though around the world most days are that day lol.

File this one under WTAF [that file is growing lol].

It kind of reminded me of the Bat light shone over Gotham when the caped crusader was needed…

Though in this case I’m sure a load of anti-vaping soccer moms responded and donned their designer moms against vaping t-shirts, running out into the night to combat those evil and dastardly e-cigarettes…or something…

Anyway, and rightly so Toronto’s vape community were not laughing.

In response to the Tweet the Canadian Vaping Association said:

45,000 Canadians die each year from smoking.

Vaping is widely recognized as less harmful than smoking.

Campaigns like these confuse smokers and discourage harm reduction.

Absolutely.

Last word to Cloud Chaserz Inc.

Indeed…

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More vaping news on Sunday!