When contacting the MP, I decided to keep it fairly brief, and only cover some of the points (the points I feel most important; or concerning disposables, I guess it's more of a political point, because personally I don't care that much if they ban disposables, but I'm trying to think of those who it might affect, and in what way).
I didn't want to cover everything, as too long an essay would need to be wrote, and less attention maybe given...
.. I'll report back if I get a reply...
Here's what I wrote -
I am writing to you with great concern about what legislation the government is intending on carrying out via the tobacco and vapes Bill in terms of tobacco harm reduction. I will keep this fairly brief and just cover some of the points.
I have been vaping since 2008, and have not smoked since then. I found no other method as a way of giving up smoking; I assumed I would be a smoker for life. I liked smoking, but I hated what smoking was doing to my body. Within a week or so, I could feel how much better my lung capacity was, and was playing sport again (something I hadn’t done for years).
I enjoy vaping. In fact, I was so impressed by vaping that I set up a retail vape business iVapour in 2009. We have just one shop in Haxby Shopping Centre.
I will start with the crux of my argument (which can not be denied) -
The more restrictions that are put on vaping, the more people will smoke.
Disposable Vapes
There are approximately 2.6 million adults who use disposables in Britain (1 in 20 adults).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38267284/
According to ASH, there are around 280,000 11-17-year-olds using disposables.
https://ash.org.uk/resources/view/use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-great-britain
So, nine in every ten users of disposables are adults.
If disposables are banned, there will be some who change over to reusables, but a large proportion will source them on the black market, or go back to smoking...
Disposables have also been an important low cost entry level for smokers to try vaping.
Any ban on disposables will be perceived as a negative risk communication about vaping or harm reduction in general, when 4 in 10 smokers wrongly believe that vaping is as or more harmful than smoking.
https://ash.org.uk/media-centre/new...-that-vaping-is-as-or-more-harmful-as-smoking
Flavour Restrictions
It is with great dismay that the government have announced they will be restricting flavours in some way, when the wide array of flavours currently available are vital for the success of vaping products to tempt people who smoke to switch to vaping, to not smoke, and stay not smoking.
There has been some mention that candy flavours are there “to market to children”. This is complete nonsense, as many adults like sweet flavours. In fact fruit, dessert and candy flavours are the most popular category among adult vapers, with more than half of all vapers choosing them. If the flavours were say limited tobacco and mint, there would be many vapers who would not want to vape those flavours, and liable to go back to smoking.
Tax
It has been reported that there is likely to be an extra tax on vapes (on top of VAT) of at least 25%.
Research shows that taxes on vaping products increase cigarette sales and use.
https://f1000research.com/articles/12-121
Vapes and cigarettes are economic substitutes—meaning that taxes, flavor restrictions, or other government actions that reduce e-cigarettes’ competitive advantages versus tobacco will increase cigarette sales and smoking, including among teenagers.
There will be a number of unintended consequences if an extra tax is put on vapes, including suppressing sales of legal and taxed vapes, an increase in demand for cigarettes, and incentives to buy and sell illicit products or otherwise avoid tax.
Summary
The focus of the proposed regulation concerning young people is inappropriate – almost as if the effect on older adult smokers, often living in poverty, is of little concern to the government. Yet that is the sub-population at greatest risk and by far the greatest in number.
However, given that vaping is widely accepted to pose a “small fraction of the risk of smoking”, it is clear that any uptick in smoking (in both adolescents and adults) would be likely to overwhelm any benefits from reductions in youth vaping.
The UK has been leading the world globally in tobacco harm reduction, and it will be a real shame if that reputation is reversed. These proposals not only risk trashing our reputation amongst credible global public health academics, but will also lead to promotion of ignorance and poor policy in other countries which will cost lives worldwide.
I hope you consider my points and will protect & encourage tobacco harm reduction in all forms.
If you want to meet in person, I would be more than happy to discuss any of these points (or others).
