UK policies on vaping harm children and need strengthening
Macleod K, Bush A, Coutts J, et al. Editorial. Protecting children from harms of vaping. 16 Dec 2022. BMJ; 379: e073824 , “E-cigarette use in children and young people is a new and serious public health challenge. A bold review of the regulation of e-cigarettes, making it similar to successful smoking legislation, may prevent a further rise in use among young people, many of whom would otherwise never have smoked. Measures that regard vaping in the same way as smoking should be supported, along with bans on flavorings and designs targeted at children and young people. Advertising for vaping products should be controlled in public places and social media platforms… The current UK policy promotes vaping for smokers at the expense of the health of children and young people, who are now more likely to be exposed to a lifetime of inhaled nicotine and vape fluid. Without legislation similar to the tobacco control that led to reduced smoking rates over the past 50 years, harm among children and young people will only increase.”
https://www.bmj.com/content/379/bmj-2022-073824
Comment: UK policy promotes e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, but does not adequately address the increasing nicotine addiction of youth. It is alarming to see the shifting of adults and youth to e-cigarette use (promoted by the vaping industry) in the hope of somehow reducing nicotine addiction.
Stephen Hamann
