According to the Daily Record Newspaper Scottish people are pro-vaping and are in favour of government promoting vaping to those wanting to stop smoking.
A poll for the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) carried out by the Diffley Partnership asked more than 2,000 people for their views on smoking and vaping.
The poll was conducted in the wake of the Scottish Government proposals of banning displays and advertising of vaping goods.
So what did our chums in Scotland say…
Results
The poll showed these results…
- Quitting smoking using vaping should be encouraged – apparently 45% agreed with this statement.
- The majority think vaping is much safer than smoking.
- E-cigarette users choose the products because they are cheaper, less harmful and help them quit smoking.
- Most vapers purchase vapes from local stores rather than the internet, therefore any over regulation of vaping will impact small businesses too.
- Only 1 in 6 people wanted to make accessing vapes more difficult. Over half of people wanted easier access.
Reaction
The SGF article quotes Dr John Lee, SGF’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs…
“Scots – both smokers and non-smokers alike – are giving the thumbs up to e-cigarettes. This is important evidence from the real world which backs up the view of NHS Scotland that vaping is much less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
“Vapers are telling us that they are turning to e-cigarettes because they are safer, cheaper and more likely to lead to them quitting for good.
“Our member convenience stores want to play their part in the massive effort needed to switch smokers to vaping and make Scotland smoke free by 2034.”
NHS Scotland Opinion
Although not related to this survey, NHS Scotland seem to be in favour of using vaping as a tool to reduce smoking rates. They have the aim of a SmokFree Scotland 2034.
Their Consensus Statement on e-cigarettes (2017) proposes the following…
Conclusion
I am very confused on the Scottish Government stance towards vaping.
NHS Scotland are very pro-vaping and see it as a helpful tool in being able to meet the SmokeFree 2034 target. This is extremely positive.
However government proposals to regulate vaping seem quite heavy handed. They were announced in February 2022 and were discussing tightening rules on advertising and promotion of vaping. The proposals were met with a lot of backlash from retailers, the SGF and the public who felt this would limit access and information for those who want to quit smoking by vaping.
This poll shows that the public seem to really be in favour of the promotion of vaping and want to embrace it.
I suppose it is a case of “watch this space” to see what transpires in Scottish Harm Reduction policy.
