Online retailer Haypp has launched a petition in an attempt to save flavoured vapes from getting banned in the UK.
The petition states that promoting vaping instead of the deadly smoking has made the UK one of Europe's most successful countries in helping people to quit, a fact which is now threatened by a recent proposal from the British Medical Association (BMA).
Haypp states, "Adults like flavours and adult vapers are no different. Fruit and dessert flavours are the most popular and most vapers quit smoking using a flavoured vape. Flavours are clearly not just nice to have, they are central to quitting cigarettes and staying quit."
Haypp is calling for the focus to be shifted on unscrupulous vendors, as it believes these vendors are one of the main reasons why young people are in possession of vapes. There needs to be more regulations and restrictions in place.
The petition states, "The UK government has always been supportive of smokers wanting to quit, which is why last year it launched a swap-to-stop project to provide smokers with free vape products to help them do just that. We don’t want to see this support undermined by a group – the BMA – that appears to be attacking smokers.
"Instead, focus should be put on the unscrupulous vendors who have no problem selling products to young people who shouldn’t have them in the first place. The only losers with the BMA proposals will be the smokers."
In its report released last week, BMA has called on the government to ban disposable vapes and restrict the placement of reusable vapes in stores thereby severely restricting adult smokers’ access to vapes.
Speaking about the petition, Dr Marina Murphy, senior director of scientific affairs at Haypp, said, “We share concerns about youth vaping and increases in the use of these products by young people, but we do not believe that the solution to this problem is to take vape products out of the hands of adult smokers or to severely restrict their choice, by banning flavours for example.
“These products are at least 95 per cent safer than combustible cigarettes. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has said that they are now the most common aid used by people to quit smoking in the UK. The result is that successful quit attempts are at an all-time high and smoking rates are an all-time low.
“Vape products are already banned for anyone under 18 years old, but this regulation needs to be strictly enforced. There should be a requirement for bricks and mortar premises to age-verify 100 per cent of their customers, and we agree that on-line sales should only be permitted where the vendor can demonstrate that they use a secure, reliable on-line age-verification system.
“When it comes to vape flavours, studies have demonstrated many times that they play a central role in quitting. They play an important role in differentiating smoking from vaping, not least because flavoured vapes taste nothing like cigarettes.
“Bans on e-cigarette flavours have had detrimental effects in other jurisdictions. A study of a ban on e-cigarette flavours in the US, for example, found that for every 0.7ml of flavoured e-liquid not sold, a further 15 cigarettes were purchased.”
Simon Hannah
