MP Backs Vaping
North Tyneside MP Mary Glindon has backed vaping after speaking of how it helped her late husband stop smoking
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by Dave Cross
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Tributes poured in when Mr Glindon, who was also the cabinet member for finance, passed away after a five-year battle with the disease.
Mrs Glindon’s support for vaping comes as campaigners claim health and household income in the region would increase if there was better education on e-cigarettes.
She has now lent her support to vaping advocate Mark Oates, who argues North Tyneside and other communities would have higher household incomes and lower death rates if e-cigarettes were promoted as a way to stop smoking.
Cancer remains the biggest cause of premature mortality locally, with 876 deaths in 2017-19, according to North Tyneside Council’s borough profile 2021.
Meanwhile, 19,134 (9.3%) of North Tyneside residents live in the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England.
Mrs Glindon’s support also follows the recent government commissioned Khan report, which concluded vaping should be promoted to save lives.
Mrs Glindon said: “The evidence shows that vaping is a safe alternative to smoking.
“Many heavy smokers who I know, including my late husband, have been successful in giving up smoking because they have taken up vaping as a safer long-term alternative.
“It’s good to see that vaping has been referenced in the Khan review. This goes to reinforce the fact that vaping is important in helping people to quit smoking.”
The report - led by former Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan and commissioned by the UK secretary of state for health and social care - stated vaping should be offered as an alternative to smoking by doctors.
Mr Oates, director of consumer advocacy group We Vape, said: “The vaping community is grateful for Mrs Glindon’s support and it is clear she knows better than most how even heavy smokers can stop with the help of e-cigarettes.
“North Tyneside does have an issue with poverty and preventable deaths that we see mirrored across multiple areas of the UK and no matter where you look, the disparity in poverty patterns are always linked to health and income.
“Vaping in time will hugely reduce cancer rates across the UK and all the associated mental, physical and financial impacts this has across society.”
Campaigners argue that with Public Health England, Cancer research UK and the NHS all backing vaping as an effective quitting tool and cheaper, safer alternative to smoking, there should be better education on its benefits - including cost.
According to Cancer Research UK, smokers spend on average £475 on cigarettes every three months, or £1900 a year.
This compares to £180 every three months or £720 a year for vapers - over 2.5 times less than those who smoke.
The Khan report concluded doctors need to be better educated on the benefits of vaping, so they are more likely to recommend it to smokers.
Public Health England has twice concluded vaping is 95% safer than smoking.
Mr Oates added: “We are pleased but not surprised the Khan report firmly states the importance of promoting vaping as an effective quitting tool.
“Now that we agree vaping is a good thing, we must see action to educate the public and medical professionals. This is so smokers are informed of a simple tool that could save or extend their lives in North Tyneside, and every other community affected by the horrors of smoking."
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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