to think this is good news for Vapers...

[PiffIeandWiffle]

Here's a BBC Linky but the upshot is that, according to Public Health England, vaping isn't the big Satan that some make it out to be, E-Cigs should be available on prescription & that hospitals & employers should have designated vaping areas (even rooms for long stay patients).

It's about time some proper research was done & some recognition of the fact that it's just water & flavouring - "there was "overwhelming evidence" they were far safer than smoking and "of negligible risk to bystanders"....

Good news for those trying to give up fags, but it does mean that the frothers will have to find something else to froth about now......

The difference between vaping and NRTs such as patches and gum is that vaping is a complete replacement of smoking whereas NRT are something to help you wean off nicotine and help you quit completely. No one pops a patch on for recreation but vaping is recreational as well as addictive and as such, should not be supplied by the NHS.
Schools had to ban vaping because many kids were taking it up when they wouldn't have ever considered smoking. Just because it was perfectly legal for under 18's to buy them until October 1st 2015, many youngsters tried it. It is especially enticing seeing that they are all kinds of sweet flavoured, unlike cigarettes, which the closest we got was menthols. (Oh how I miss smoking my minty Berkeleys...)

If they ever do put vaping on the NHS as NRT, then it would have to be very, very limited. You could potentially fund an entire lifetime of vaping by telling the doc you're quitting again after the time limit is up.

I'll just leave this here in case anyone else plays the "think of the children" card

I'll just leave this here in case anyone else plays the "think of the children" card

How dare you backup your claim with a fact!!

How long do you think it should be available on prescription for then?

How long are current quitting aids (that are pretty pricey) on prescription for? That'd be the logical amount of time.

No-one has suggested that anyone gets "their habit paid for" - it's been suggested that, as they're such an effective aid for quitting, that it'd be worthwhile the NHS prescribing them out, because if they can get people to quit smoking, the long term cost savings are worth it.

The head at our local high school would beg to differ, as would the teens that go there. My friend's daughter was one of these vapers who has never had a cigarette.

The nhs is seriously underfunded and when people with life threatening no-fault conditions are having to pay for meds/equipment it's out of order.

So what's the thinking on IVF, & some cosmetic surgery that is currently available on the NHS at a significant cost?

IVF costs a lot of money and, if successful, means the creation of another resource that'll almost immediately start costing the NHS money too......

I've smoked cigarettes. I enjoyed that.

I vaped. I enjoyed that. Why wouldn't I? It's like smoking except it has yummy flavours too.

I used NRT. I didn't enjoy that. No one does!

Have you vaped/smoked long OP?

Appalling. I am a fervent anti-smoker and suspect that vaping will ultimately be found to be as harmful as to tobacco. Plus it looks utterly ridiculous.

You could potentially fund an entire lifetime of vaping by telling the doc you're quitting again after the time limit is up.

Does this happen with the current quitting aids, are there mechanisms in place to prevent it or is it just supposition on your part?

Well the heat does still cause gene mutations. I would imagine that if you have been smoking cigarettes and you switched to vapour it would still be quite risky given prior carcinogen exposure. It's a pretty stupid way to quit smoking-you are effectively substituting one bad habit for another slightly less bad habit. The money would be better spent on improved addiction resteach and actual treatment as opposed to mere replacement.

Rowena in which case the responsibility lies with parents - it is illegal to sell or supply vaping equipment to anyone under 18.

The NHS (or local councils) don't supply any nicotine replacement product indefinitely, it's usually for a 4-8 weeks, perhaps another 4 weeks for patch, then no repeat prescription for at least 6 months or more.

I'm sure any vaping prescription (which isn't allowed anyway right now) would be similar. It would be used for short-term smoking cessation like NRT.

People are a bit naive if they think everyone quits NRT though after smoking. Most people using it go back to smoking anyway (real-life success rates are really low). Many carry on sneaking gum- 10% carry on after the initial programme. I have a friend long-term addicted to the gum. It's an addictive product for sure, but that's not where the health harm is coming from, either in NRT or vaping.

Reginald the study that report is based on if you trace it properly - was funded by vaper manufacturers.

In terms of nicotine not being harmful, it's s powerful psychoactive substance. Has an effect on the heart, this much we do know. The long term effects of nicotine use outside of tobacco products is not yet known because we don't yet have enough evidence. There is also evidence that while it may not be directly carcinogenic it does have an effect on cancer cells.

Have you vaped/smoked long OP?

I smoked for 17 years, haven't for 10 (just quit, no aids) & have never vaped.

I'm actively for anything that helps people quit smoking as that's the killer.

I don't mind the smell of vapes any more than I mind the smell of perfume, soup, burger vans, babies, fairgrounds etc. Sometimes even a quick whiff of tobacco is nice.

I definitely don't get stressed about other peoples lifestyle choices - even the stupid ones (like smoking and babies)

Appalling. I am a fervent anti-smoker and suspect that vaping will ultimately be found to be as harmful as to tobacco. Plus it looks utterly ridiculous.

How the hell is smoking like having a baby?!

HUGE difference between NRT such as gum or patches and Vaping though. NRT is not enjoyable. Not at all! The gum is nasty and the patches irritate most people's skin therefore encouraging them to quit the patches too.

Vaping is addictive AND recreational, it's even flavoured to make it pleasant!NRT is just down to the nicotine addiction.

Why would anyone object to the most effective aid to stopping smoking being available on the NHS?

Because, as others have said, if you can afford cigarettes you can afford to fund your own vaping.

And for the record, I like the smell of vaping. My friend has a lovely one that smells of fresh strawberries! I would encourage everyone to vape instead of smoke, but like smoking, it is a choice and should be personally funded with help provided to quit. My dad needed NRT to get off vaping.

It's a pretty stupid way to quit smoking-you are effectively substituting one bad habit for another slightly less bad habit no, not slightly less, the original PHE report estimated 95% less harmful, although that is just an estimate from experts based on the current science which might change in the future.

That's a HUGE reduction in harm.

Two-thirds of smokers die from smoking. From the tar, the carbon monoxide, the chemicals causing cancer. By what biological mechanism could two-thirds of vapers die from vaping?

It is not risk free though- low risk, but not risk free.

It is better than smoking though and for the most part, that's who is doing it, people who despite being constantly berated and jeered at,are still addicted to smoking and usually have many failed quit attempts behind them.

There is no evidence of long-term use of e-cigs by never smoked teens- not over years. They may try it, flirt with it to be rebellious, but there aren't heaps of vaping twenty year olds who tried it as a teen who never ever touched a cigarettes (or cannabis, be realistic). Teens try things, but that doesn't mean they will become adult vapers in the long-term, all the evidence shows this and is contained in the report.

www.gov.uk/government/news/phe-publishes-independent-expert-e-cigarettes-evidence-review

Piffle As you asked, although not of me, no, I don't believe IVF should be available on the NHS, nor cosmetic surgery that is not for any medical benefit. The NHS can't cope at present and it's not just about throwing more money at it (we've had several threads on that recently) and it is continually being asked to do things it was never intended or expected to do.

Vaping is less harmful than smoking a conventional cigarette.

What you are failing to realise is that taxpayers would prefer people quitting cigarettes to stop altogether rather than have them replace smoking cigarettes with e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes aren't as smelly and don't have the same litter issue as regular cigarettes but it's still not pleasant for others. There's still smoke, it's still an addiction and there's no social etiquette established on the things so I see people smoking them in places that I think are anti-social but the law/social etiquette hasn't caught up so doesn't deem it so.

I'm surprised by the comment posted above attributed to the Head of Cancer Research. Shisha pens, e-cigarettes are/were popular enough that they had to be explicitly banned by schools as there were people using them to smoke drugs.

I can see the upside of providing them on prescription, but think we should wait 10-20 years of them being available to be able to properly assess the long term risks. Also it does seem a bit like switching one addiction for another in a lot of cases

Personally,I'd rather put up with clouds of vanilla or strawberry vapour than real smoke.