Vaping should be promoted as a way of quitting cigarettes says doctors' body
Ash Scotland has given a cautious welcome to the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) backing of e-cigarettes.
The body said that vaping could benefit public health by reducing the harm done by smoking and should be widely promoted as a substitute.
In a report, RCP said smokers can be reassured and encouraged to use e-cigarettes and the public can be reassured that they are much safer than smoking.
Smoking remains a major public health problem as 20% of Scots smoke and there around 10,000 smoking-related deaths per year, according to NHS data.
Some harm from long-term use of e-cigarettes through inhaling chemicals could occur but the risks are less than 5% of those linked to smoking traditional cigarettes, the authors said.
ASH Scotland chief executive Sheila Duffy said: “All the information we have suggests that someone moving completely from tobacco cigarettes to electronic cigarettes will greatly reduce the health risks, but to get these benefits they need to stop using tobacco altogether.
“Electronic cigarettes need to be regulated to improve quality and reliability. There should also be restrictions to prevent promotion to non-smokers, particularly children.”
Electronic cigarettes need to be regulated to improve quality and reliability - Sheila Duffy
Professor John Britton, chair of the RCP’s Tobacco Advisory Group, said: “This report lays to rest almost all of the concerns over these products, and concludes that, with sensible regulation, electronic cigarettes have the potential to make a major contribution towards preventing the premature death, disease and social inequalities in health that smoking currently causes in the UK.”
Professor Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK’s cancer prevention expert, said: “Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in Scotland and this comprehensive report shows that electronic cigarettes have considerable potential to help drive down smoking rates further.
“This is particularly important for groups and communities where smoking rates are still high. Properly funded stop smoking services are essential, but there is growing evidence that e-cigarettes also provide a new escape route.”
