Vaping is no gateway to smoking: Royal College of Physicians
Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm says Australian authorities who care about reducing smoking should deregulate the sale of e-cigarettes as soon as possible in light of a major new report which shows vaping is beneficial to public health.
The report from the UK’s Royal College of Physicians has found that:
- E-cigarettes are not a gateway to smoking, as their use is limited almost entirely to those who already use, or have used tobacco.
- There is no evidence that either nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or e-cigarette use has resulted in renormalisation of smoking.
- E-cigarettes use is likely to lead to quit attempts that would not otherwise occur, a proportion of which leads to successful cessation. In this way, e-cigarettes can act as a gateway away from smoking.
- Potential long term harm from vaping is likely to be far smaller than the risks of continued smoking.
“The Liberal-Labor Nanny State denies Australian smokers and vapers the ability to legally purchase nicotine-containing e-cigarettes despite the fact they can freely do this when visiting the United States and United Kingdom,” said Senator Leyonhjelm. “This report shows their policy is not just interfering in our personal choices, it is actually bad for public health in Australia.”
The findings of the report, which was authored by 21 of the UK’s top health experts, can be accessed here.
Further information about vaping can be found here
