F E AT U R E
New Royal College of Physicians
report underlines why e-cigarettes are
a healthier alternative to cigarettes
Words by Amy Walker
I
t is common knowledge that smoking
is the largest avoidable cause of
death and disability within the UK.
Whilst some may huff and puff at the
newly plain packaging of cigarettes, the
vigorous pursuit of conventional tobacco
control policies is encouraging smokers
to ditch the analogue cigarettes.
Yet whilst we are a society slowly
grappling towards the ultimate
redundancy of tobacco harm, a recent
report from the Royal College of
Physicians, underlines the important
role e-cigarettes play in the long battle
for tobacco harm reduction. If you
don’t know who the RCP are, they’re
the professional membership body for
physicians that aims to reduce illness
and works closely with the NHS. What
the RCP thinks and says counts.
We all know that it’s mainly the nicotine,
and not the other thousands of harmless
chemicals in tobacco that’s addictive
to us, right? Hence, all the remedies
you’ll find for kicking the habit are
always nicotine-based. However, the
RCP’s report highlights the fact that aids
such as chewing gums and inhalers
are often less successful without
health professional input and support.
Alternatively, e-cigarettes appear to be
82 ISSUE 05 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE
effective when used by smokers as an
aid to quit smoking. So if you hadn’t
already caught on, that’s why there’s
been such a phenomenal rise in the
amount of pop-up e-cig stores and
pedestrian vapers across Britain.
Furthermore, while a frequent rhetoric
used by those against or sceptical of
vaping is the possible and unknowable
long-term effects of inhaling the other
chemicals used in e-cigarettes, the RCP
point out that the hazard is unlikely to
exceed 5% of the harm from smoking
tobacco. Just 5%!!! In addition, the
board proposes that technological
developments and improved production
standards could reduce these minimal
hazards. Thus, it is important that the
demonization of vaping ends so that
we can develop the industry to be even
more of a benefit to the customers we
care about.
Another criticism which is often used to
quash the efforts of vaping advocates,
is the concern that e-cigarettes
will increase tobacco smoking by
renormalizing the act of smoking,
acting as a gateway to smoking in
young people, and being used for
temporary, not permanent abstinence
from smoking. Yet, the report underlines
that, in fact, there is no evidence to
suggest any of these processes is
occurring to a significant degree in the
UK. Instead, E-cigarettes are being
used primarily by those who want to
reduce harm to themselves or to quit
smoking completely, and it’s having
brilliantly positive effects! The RCP
suggest that whilst regulations should
reduce the direct and indirect adverse
effects of e-cigarette use, they should
not be allowed to significantly inhibit the
development and use of harm-reduction
products by smokers. The RCP’s real
target for the suggested regulations
is of course the tobacco industry, who
they admit have begun to exploit the
popularity of e-cigarettes for their
own marketization. Nevertheless, the
report concludes that in the interests of
public health, it is important to promote
e-cigarettes as widely as possible as a
substitute for smoking in the UK.
The recognition of the benefits of
e-cigarettes by a medical institution
such as the RCP ought to be taken as
a huge blow for those who fail to see
the significance of the growing vaping
industry. For us, it’s a massive feat!