The Great British vape off

Good afternoon,

I am writing this from South Africa, a not so modest country when it comes to controversies but my home none the wiser, which I love dearly.

Vaping this side hasn’t caught on like it has in the more developed parts of the world but by my observations, it is rapidly getting there. And as an ex-smoker of more than 10 years and 20 a day, I am wholly greatful. If I had the money, I would introduce every smoker on the planet to vaping.

I recently started Vaping and I am glad I made the choice as I am now smog free. Smoking had so much infringed on the quality of my life that even ordering a new vehicle, I had to put in a ‘smoker’s package’.
It had so much dampered things, that even kissing my wife was a hassle as I always tasted like an ash tray… How dreadful!

As far as the US goes, everyone informed knows that most policies there are shaped by donors. That’s one society driven by the greedy who have politicians do their bidding. I suppose it’s that way everywhere, the way of the world.

We may not know the long term effects of vaping in precision but we do know that in the short term, there is virtually none, only the dubious suspicions of the ill informed. To conclude that it is ‘bad’ for teens and pre-teens based on some study funded by donors and conducted by special interest groups is premature.
Yes nicotine is addictive, just as caffeine in coffee is. Yet one of these is easily found in canteens in schools.
The have been cases of caffeine overdosing and health ill effects from its use but it’s still sold everywhere.
What about nicotine overdose? Or health ill effects from nicotine? None so far(based on my limited knowledge.)
It’s unfortunate that when you say ‘nicotine’, people associate it with tobacco. Yet it is found in some vegetables that are a staple on many tables. Also, the brain itself produces the stuff.

I’ve been vaping for about 5 years. I quit smoking as soon as I started to vape. Since I quit smoking cigarettes, I haven’t been sick with colds,sinus infection or bronchitis. (I’ve had probably 2 colds a year) sick days and going to the Dr appt. Have been much fewer.
When I finally did quit smoking I had a smokers cough and my voise was so gravely sounding. Then thank goodness for vaporizer!!
My voice has gone back to normal. Like I sounded before I started smoking(almost 20 yrs.of cigarette use) the gravel sound is gone and I don’t have a cough anymore. the U.S. the govt., Has come down so hard with taxes on makers of e-juice they’ve shut down most of all the local shops. Even internet sites have had to shut down because they made it illegal to sell across state lines. Only the BIG vaping co. Have been able to stay open.
Its like the U.S. had know idea that vaping would become sooo huge and the govt. got quit Upset because they missed the boat on what they could have made from taxes, from the very beginning when vaping was fist introduced.
And Big Tabacco co. Are so Against it because so many people have quit using Tabacco and they have lost ALOT of money.
I say the U.S gov’t should be happy vaping has caught on, because it will lower cigarette illnesses like cancer,lower Dr. Visits and lower prescription costs which would greatly help the U.S. economy.
Not to mention how much a person saves in money by quiting Tabacco ciggerettes and switching to vaping. I’m very proud of my husband and myself for quoting smoking cigarettes and if there is a non smoker out there that condemns vaping well, they need to look at health issues that are slowly declining due to people going from ciggerettes to people who now vape. Vaping, I think, will make smoking, something that is much less used. I say Vape It if you got it.

Anything that gets people away from cigarettes is a good thing.

I am an ex smoker, I stopped, cold Turkey,18 years ago, after a few false starts. I wasn’t a heavy smoker, but it still wasn’t easy. My husband was a heavy smoker, who tried patches, sprays and gum, none of which stopped him smoking, though Gum did cut him right down, but gave him mouth ulcers, to the point he couldn’t use it any more.

Since he took up vaping, he has stopped smoking entirely and hasn’t had a cigarette in several years now, hurray! However, it isn’t all good news, he still buys the strongest solution and cannot seem to cut back on the vape, he is addicted to that instead now. He only likes the tobacco flavours, which I hate the smell of (almost as much as I hate cigarette smoke.) The odour can be ‘aired’ from the room, but his clothes smell and so does his breath, and it turns his tongue brown! He thinks I just exaggerate ….

He may be at less risk of cancer, I certainly hope so, but I feel the habit itself is almost as anti-social as smoking, a faceful of vape mist at a concert, is not pleasant, so I can understand the reactions of some on here and why they might welcome the legislation, even though it doesn’t seem fair or quite logical.

I think a few children will take to it because it’s ‘cool’ and their friends do it, just as I did with cigarettes so many years ago, and as they probably would with cigarettes, if vaping wasn’t invented, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is the lesser of two evils in the long run

Smoked my last cigarette 5 years ago, the day I started vaping. Have tried many times over the years to give up, without success, with vaping it was easy.
Trouble is, tobacco lobby caught on back foot, frantically trying to play catch up, and trying to damage the vaping industry through well funded dubious PR, leading to nonsensical legislation such as TPD.

Just like cigarettes, vaping also pollutes the atmosphere and it means that non-smokers have to breath in the output from these revolting devices. Both forms of smoking should be outlawed everywhere except for in the private homes of the addicts themselves.
Nowadays, non-smokers are effectively prevented from enjoying a meal outdoors at a restaurant! Frankly, that’s an infringement on a non-smoker’s rights of access to clean unpolluted air.

I smoked for many years, many attempts to quit too. I took up vaping to see if that would be a means to help me to stop and it worked. Not one more regular cigarette since day 1. I gradually reduced the strength of nicotine in the eliquid. I suppose I am hooked on vaping now, but I enjoy it and I believe it is MUCH LESS harmful than smoking. And as far as young people taking up vaping, I would say that almost all the people I see with ecigs are in the 40+ age group – most likely ex-smokers. I see it as a bit like alcohol. Over indulging is bad for your health. Total abstinence would probably be best, but an occasional drink must be better than heavy drinking.

I never smoked a cigarette in my life, and I developed sort of a hate towards people smoking near me without any care for my health. You see, the problem I see with e-cigs is that vaping now became allowed in offices, public places, and lately even in tight spaces like buses and trains, just because it’s considered such a low harm. The only choice I have is to leave the place, or move somewhere else. Now that the e-cigs are promoted as “so safe” for smokers, and come in flavors, vaping in public suddenly became acceptable again. You see, e-cigs are becoming popular among young people not only as a replacement for cigs, but also because it’s cool. I met a few young people who would do this just because it’s the thing now! Isn’t this a concern? It was the same with cigarettes in the 60-90s, they were cool to smoke.
I don’t want any smoke to be part of the air I or my family breathes, and as such I really am against any acceptance of such a drug in the way it is. I think they should be regulated in the same strict way as cigarettes.

Having over heard a group of pompous promoters of cigarettes at an indoor tennis tournament back in 1987, saying that as British sales of cigarettes were falling. They badly needed and they represented Benson & Hedges by the way! To get the children of the sub-Indian continent and the pacific basin countries, hooked upon tobacco at a very early age! So as to safeguard their industry, for health laws were lax in these then third world countries. I am opposed to any form of device that proposes to be an alternative to smoking tobacco, as their will always be health problems. The reason being is obvious and should also be to these medics in favor of so called E-Cigarettes as the human respiratory system was meant to breath a clean earth atmosphere, free as much as possible from pollutants. These alternatives are just a way of making money for those in fear of their industry going to the wall. If you don’t encourage to stop these Doctors, who are very likely in the pockets of big business I am likely not to support Cancer Research UK in the near future!

Such incredible ignorance from Dr Murthy, one would be forgiven for thinking he’s taking back-handers from big tobacco.

Certainly good to err on the side of caution with e-juices. Absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence after all, but to equate e-cigarettes with analogue cigarettes seems recklessly irresponsible.

I find it a little baffling how the UK seem to be out of step with a large proportion of the world on this issue. As a country the UK has researched the products and provided sensible health information. Here we view ecigs as an alternative to smoking and a means of quitting traditional cigarettes. They are by no means perfect but in comparison to smoking our studies show they are a much better health option. Around the world ecigs appear to be viewed as a stand alone product, i.e. vaping is worse for your health than not vaping with little to no regard given to smokers who switch. It seems that the US and EU are set on a path of banning or regulating to the point of destroying the industry. Hopefully in years to come they can look at the UK and like minded countries and realise their hard line approaches were a mistake.

Great article. What I do find utterly baffling is the changes due in April thanks to the TPD which affect both tobacco AND egis. First of all – eliquid is not a tobacco product. But most baffling of all is that in April, smokers while now have to buy MORE cigarettes if the want to smoke, as packs of 10 will no longer be available, but vapers will now have to buy LESS eliquid, the maximum amount of liquid a person can buy is just 10ml, which will increase costs of harm reduction i.e. vaping. This is real Alice in Wonderland logic.

This is an excellent discourse on the importance of clarity and accuracy of fact in shaping health policy and ultimately societal habit. We need more of this type of discussion. Let’s really pay attention to what is helpful and what is harmful, and make sure advice given by “experts” is sound.

Well it all depends, I am 20+ and I think vape is much better than smoking, I really love vaping and try different flavors :)
I know its harmful but I can’t help it, I really love vape and I can’t leave it

That’s great !
In France, it’s too early to hear the same thing from our health authorities.
We just started this year your “Stoptober” last november. So …

Thank you for a great article. On behalf of Americans I applaud your approach, and apologize for ours.