Advocacy Thoughts on Disposable Bans
It’s time to remind ourselves what the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World and the New Nicotine Alliance, two harm reduction advocacy organisations, have said about banning disposables
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by Dave Cross
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“An unscientific ban would put health of adults who smoke at risk,” said the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World in December, in response to France announcing it planned on banning disposable vapes.
The tobacco harm reduction advocacy organisation continued: “Responsible innovation and objective science-based regulation of e-cigarettes represents the best chance we have of eradicating the combustible cigarette-driven epidemic in this generation. Without question, we must protect our children from exposure to nicotine. Too often overlooked, at the same time, is that more than a billion adults smoke cigarettes around the world. The World Health Organization and others predict that at current rates cigarette smoking will kill an unprecedented one billion people globally in this century.
“Addicted smokers who find themselves unable or unwilling to stop smoking by other means, such as with nicotine medications, should be encouraged to switch to much safer, non-combustible nicotine-delivery products, which can literally save their lives. An unscientific blanket ban on disposable e-cigarettes would reduce these alternatives for millions of vulnerable adults whose health is at immediate risk and who wish to transition away from lethal combustible tobacco products.”
The Foundation’s President and CEO Cliff Douglas added that governments should focus on “stringently enforcing the minimum-age law, appropriately restricting marketing, and incentivising the development of eco-friendly product designs to achieve these dual objectives, without abandoning the needs of adults who smoke.”
The New Nicotine Alliance, the UK’s only nicotine consumer advocacy charity, responded to the Government’s initial ban proposal last year by saying: “The government would be making a grave mistake if it decides to ban disposable vapes as it would be a significant over-reaction to the exaggerated perception of harms to youth.
“Public health organisations such as Action on Smoking and Health, Fresh Balance and NCSCT are opposed to a ban, and for good reason. The convenience and wide choice of flavours are useful for helping smokers to switch to a safer product, especially amongst heavier smokers and disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Disposable vapes don’t require refilling and recharging, so are easier to use. People who have problems with dexterity find them very useful and their low cost and convenience helps to prevent relapse to smoking.
“Industry estimates that over 50% of single use vapes in circulation are already illegal, so banning the regulated market does not make sense. Illicit sellers would continue to import and supply unregulated and potentially unsafe nicotine vaping products to adults and young people, but with increased competitive advantage in the absence of regulated products.
“There are justified concerns about youth vaping, but surveys suggest that most youth vaping is experimental or amongst adolescents who were already smoking. Much is made of the range of flavours, but it is important to recognise that fruit, dessert, and candy flavours are the most popular category among adult vapers, with more than half of all vapers choosing them. It is clear that single use vape devices are popular among young people. But it seems to have been forgotten that 25 years ago the same demographic would have been initiating their nicotine use from smoking instead of vaping.
“Furthermore, banning these products would equate vaping with smoking in the minds of many people. This will deter many smokers from switching to a far safer alternative and some former smokers who currently vape will return to 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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