Drakeford’s Back
Mark Drakeford is back after two years away from attacking vaping in Wales, and this time he’s brought a whole raft of old, failed ideas with him.
-
by Dave Cross
Share on:
People who’ve managed to swap smoking for vaping since 2016 will not have heard of his previous attempts to ignore science and evidence as he attempted to push a ban on vaping in public areas through the Assembly.
At a Welsh Health and Social Care committee meeting in 2015, Drakeford declared “that electronic cigs should be regulated as a medicine”.
As he pushed for his clampdown, Drakeford lamented that moves to medicalise vaping in the EU, during the debates prior to the TPD being agreed, were not successful: “If they had succeeded there would be no need for the proposals put forward in this bill. They would have been regulated as a medicine and the dangers that are potentially there from them being used in a recreational way would not apply.”
He is a man who still resolutely believes in vaping being a potential health crisis in the making, and that it offers a real gateway into smoking. In announcing his plans he said: “you start with an e-cigarette and end up with a real cigarette and there is evidence of that.”
Unfortunately The 2015 Welsh Health Survey hit him squarely in the face like a giant custard pie. As reported by Wales Online, the “survey can't find a single regular user that has never smoked.” Not one. Not only was there no gateway – there were no farm animals, an absence of tractors and the field had been concreted over and turned into a shopping complex.
In 2016, Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said at the end of the drawn out fact-finding process: “The evidence presented to the committee has been clear that this ban would have an adverse impact on the health of vapers, many of whom use e-cigs as a tool to give up smoking. I’m confused as to how Labour has come to a completely opposing view from the same evidence. Forcing vapers outside to use their e-cigs with tobacco smokers will subject them to passive smoke, making the task of those who are vaping in order to give up smoking much more difficult.”
At the end of the evidence-gathering process, and after much deliberation, the committee was split along political lines. Drakeford was hopeful a deal could be struck with Plaid on a different matter so he could force through his policy baby.
But Drakeford failed.
In the last act of the Assembly before closing for summer, he lost the vote and was demoted.
Today, the BBC reports that he is back, pushing to become leader of Welsh Labour – and that he still wants to see a ban on vaping in all city and town centres as part of an extension to the current smoking ban.
Two years and he’s learnt nothing.
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.
Join the discussion
Parliament Fears Two
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs faced questions from a Conservative MP and, oddly, a member of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
-
by Dave Cross
Harm Reduction For The Rich
The United Kingdom risks becoming a harm reduction country only for the wealthy, according to Michael Landl of the World Vapers’ Alliance
-
by Dave Cross
Sacrificing Health For 2p Cut
Tory Government alienates vaping voters with its mission to cut tax by an unaffordable 2p to attract voters by placing a tax on vape products in the forthcoming budget
-
by Dave Cross
Scotland Announces Single-Use Vape Action
A ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland is due to come into effect on 1 April 2025, under proposed legislation published today
-
by Dave Cross
