UK policy on tobacco and vaping – a muddle and a mess

[Toby iVapour]

I thought I'd start a new thread with this article from Clive Bates, an excellent deconstruction critique of the new proposals in the Tobacco & Vapes Bill, the Smoke-free Generation (SFG).

UK policy on tobacco and vaping - a muddle and a mess - The Counterfactual

The government is squandering a public health leadership position with populist but counterproductive measures to address smoking and vaping. Its flagship measure on smoking misses the point. Its measures on vaping will slow down progress on smoking. It has not taken the measures that would make...

clivebates.com

This is an excellent resource/ starting point (with stats & citations) if you want to contact your MP (I'll be forwarding the link to mine).

SFG is targeted at precisely the wrong population for public health purposes. The problem is the existing 6.4 million base of existing adult smokers (ONS), which is generally concentrated in poorer communities or experiencing some form of disadvantage. The SFG measure does not reach them. However, the anti-vaping measures proposed by the government will make it harder for them to switch and support continued smoking.

The problem of youth smoking is disappearing – youth smoking has declined dramatically over the last couple of decades. The chart below (source NHS Digital, 2022 – 2021 data) shows a sustained decline in regular smoking among the school students surveyed. Only around 3% of 15-year-olds were classed as regular smokers, down from 30% in 1996.

 

[pixelwasp]

"Yet, the government’s policy is to make the switch from smoking to vaping more difficult, less appealing, and more expensive. It will do this via, respectively, a ban on disposables, new powers to ban flavours, and a new tax – the Vaping Products Duty."

This is the part I don't get. But I suppose it's the government just doing their thing. I read the whole article and found it very interesting. He (Clive) speaks a lot of sense. I feel a bit more hopeful about the future of vaping with people like him on our side but don't underestimate the governments determination to barrel through with their plans.

I wish there was some sort of template for contacting my MP regarding vaping. I could email myself but I would prefer a bit of guidance.

EDIT: Found my MP here FIND YOUR LOCAL MP and am ready to email them.

EDIT 2: Wrote to my MP, linked the article and will see what they have to say on the matter.

 

[Simon G]

"Yet, the government’s policy is to make the switch from smoking to vaping more difficult, less appealing, and more expensive. It will do this via, respectively, a ban on disposables, new powers to ban flavours, and a new tax – the Vaping Products Duty."

This is the part I don't get. But I suppose it's the government just doing their thing. I read the whole article and found it very interesting. He (Clive) speaks a lot of sense. I feel a bit more hopeful about the future of vaping with people like him on our side but don't underestimate the governments determination to barrel through with their plans.

I wish there was some sort of template for contacting my MP regarding vaping. I could email myself but I would prefer a bit of guidance.

EDIT: Found my MP here FIND YOUR LOCAL MP and am ready to email them.

EDIT 2: Wrote to my MP, linked the article and will see what they have to say on the matter.

Please don't take this the wrong way, it's just advice based on my experience.

Don't email, write a letter... by hand or typed and printed out.

I don't recommend using any kind of template either, the most effective letters are always the most personal. Let them know what vaping has done for you, tell them your personal story and personal concerns.

Yeah, it's a pain and might take a little more time but it's far more effective and in my experience won't be ignored like an email might be.

 

[pixelwasp]

Please don't take this the wrong way, it's just advice based on my experience.

Don't email, write a letter... by hand or typed and printed out.

I don't recommend using any kind of template either, the most effective letters are always the most personal. Let them know what vaping has done for you, tell them your personal story and personal concerns.

Yeah, it's a pain and might take a little more time but it's far more effective and in my experience won't be ignored like an email might be.

I'll see what response I get then probably do a follow up by post as you suggest.

 

[vapesmarter]

Clive Bates is unknown and underrated he is and should be the voice of reason in a storm of nut jobs

 

[Toby iVapour]

Don't email, write a letter... by hand or typed and printed out.

(I don't know if a hand-written letter is more effective or not), but the most important is to actually contact your MP.

One advantage of email, is that if your MP is receptive (like mine appears to be), I have now given him (and his team) an email chain to refer to. (he was actually asking for info & links).

If your MP is Labour, it's maybe even more important to contact, as at least the Tories are supposed to believe more in the concept of personal liberty, and have less of a nanny state ethos. Also Labour looks like they will almost certainly get back into power in the next year, and have threatened (looking into) a prescription-only model for vapes, which would be an absolute disaster (like in Australia).

These are desperate times (not just in the UK, but globally) for tobacco harm reduction.

 

[vapervince]

It`s no use relying on the government seeing sense, if common sense prevaied they`d look at what`s happening in New Zealend and leave us all the fcuk alone.

 

[Netvaper]

A muddle and a mess is putting it politely and the at the time much lauded Swap To Stop scheme seems to have been confined to the round filing cabinet as the government instead turns to bans and taxation though the other parties are singing from the same hymn sheet.

 

[LordOdin]

I have e-mailed my MP Countless times regarding various things and never had any response. I wouldn't say all MP's are the same but mine is fecking ignorant. Can't wait to have her knocking on my door begging for my Vote.

 

[zouzounaki]

i think most of what he says is pretty on the ball.