BMA says "keep smoking" - you can only quit with a prescription.

[Matt Gluggles]

The British Medical Association has published its latest policy on electronic cigarettes.

The policy looks like it was written word for word by a pharmaceutical company that manufactures NRT (and probably was).

They are calling for tighter regulations, and say that they do not recommend e-cigs as a lower risk option - in other words "keep smoking" or quit.

They do however recommend NRT, which has a success rate of between 3 and 8 per cent - so the advice from the BMA for the 92-97% of people that NRT doesn't work for is to carry on smoking.

Basically, the advice from the BMA is that if you want to quit smoking then the only way is to go and see your Doctor and get a prescription (well, what a surprise).

And, according to the BMA, if you are one of the 92-97% that fail, you should smoke rather than use a reduced harm alternative until you go and see your Doctor again for another prescription when you are ready to try again.

Thank god that every GP that I have spoken to does not agree with this policy - the BMA are even unrepresentative of many of the very Drs that they represent.

You can view the updated BMA policy here:

http://bma.org.uk/news-views-analysis/news/2013/january/ecigarettes-not-proven-quitting-aid-says-bma

and in more detail here:

http://bma.org.uk/working-for-change/improving-and-protecting-health/tobacco/e-cigarettes


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[KulrMeStoopid]

Thats propaganda at its finest! I pity the people who listen to this shit

 

[EthelKing]

Gluggler - I like the references to ASH in particular - given that they have recently also issued a bulletin which is by and largely in support of e-cigarettes (I hate the term!).

I know that there are many doctors who see the massive advantages of vaping - and have even had a "professional" conversation with a consultant colleague looking to point a patient in the right direction. The word is spreading within the medical community - the BMA is basically the doctors union - all doctors belong to a "college" or association, or both which are pertinent to their area of speciality - each of these organisations will start to form their own opinions based on the views of their membership. Doctors of all disciplines are colleagues and friends - they dine in the same places, they socialise with other doctors and attend meetings that have breaks where they have a coffee and a chat - the word will spread as we, as vapers, go to our GP surgeries and outpatient department appointments and they witness for themselves the improvements in our health since we ditch the smoke and embraced the vape! It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.

Any change in the European laws will take a couple of years to take effect, and reading some recent news snippets about the MHRAs decision in "the Spring", it seems as though they may have missed the "tipping point" and could well have shafted themselves (at least that's what I'm hoping!) - e-cig use has grown dramatically over the past year or so, and I think a lot faster than "those in authority" envisaged. The "Big Boys" would have a rather healthy claim if their very healthy businesses were effectively f*cked over by the government - especially in these times of austerity.

Let the B.M.A. stick their report up their B.U.M. - if it gets banned or over regulated, there is too much of a "community" around the world for vaping to disappear. A very healthy "sub-society of vapers" will continue. Supplies are easy to source outside of the EU and North America, and there is a wealth of talented people making delicious e-liquids and quality mods who will simply switch over to "underground" websites and e-mail orders. If it does come to that, I will be a very proud participant*!



*The "scene", not the juice making or mod making!

 

[Vapertron]

Are you people mad, look at some of the evidence that isn't produced by the pharmaceutical companies and you will see that e-cigs are a much better way of cutting back on tobacco and eventually stopping , l smoked for 30 + yrs and tried NRT of various types with no success l have now been using my e-cigs for 5 months and HAVE NOT SMOKED for the last 3 months solid, one of my docs recommends them, unofficially, to people having trouble stopping with the nearly useless NRT, all you and the EU are doing by stopping people using them is sentencing people like myself to a life of smoking and possibly cancer which is just want the pharma companies want, in my opinion, so they can keep making profit out of peoples suffering and death, l have lost all respect for the BMA after reading this rubbish !!!!!! Just emailed this to them, idiots

 

[Bomber]

‘We are especially concerned that e-cigarettes might reinforce the smoking habit as they are designed to closely mimic smoking actions.’

So they're concerned not smoking cigarettes might reinforce actual smoking because of the 'smoking action'?? Are they concerned about drinking orange juice because that mimics the action of drinking alcohol? There are approved NRT delivery systems that mimic the action of smoking, one would assume, by their own logic, that they would be concerned about these also?! If I were Vivienne I'd be concerned about me not punching her in the face because that might reinforce the need to punch her in the face.

 

[Bryan123456]

They want us to use Champix - that was developed by their friends in the pharmaceutical industry, 'peer reviewed' and can be prescribed.

 

[Mark]

The 'vaping reinforces smoking' claptrap is utter nonsense

 

[Mark]

Thats propaganda at its finest! I pity the people who listen to this shit

Agreed

 

[EthelKing]

They want us to use Champix - that was developed by their friends in the pharmaceutical industry, 'peer reviewed' and can be prescribed.

I was on the final clinical trial for Champix before it was licenced, and I can honestly say that what I experienced on the trial was absolutely nothing like what I experienced when I was prescribed the licenced version of the drug. The trial version never made me think I was actually going mad, to the point that my missus refused to leave me on my own because she thought I might top myself!

As for the "vaping reinforces smoking" bollocks - really?! By the same token, there is very clear evidence from the "bulletin" that being a BMA "specialist group" member and understanding very little about the subject at hand, does, in fact encourage being a boreish nonsensical arsehole!

 

[Bryan123456]

Am with you Ethelking on this "No peer reviews" ? Not invented here not provided by our friends in the pharmaceutical industry. If Jesus returned to earth they would have him locked up as he'd cure people without peer reviews and wouldn't have Pfeizer tattooed on his forehead.