Royal College of Physicians: Encourages Smokers to Vape

Today The Royal College of Physicians is releasing a new 200 page report titled “Nicotine without smoke: Tobacco Harm Reduction” which concludes, among other things:

• Smokers can be reassured and ENCOURAGED to use e-cigs, and the public can be reassured that e-cig are MUCH SAFER than smoking.
• E-cigs are NOT a gateway to smoking.
• E-cigs do NOT result in normalization of smoking.
• Regulation should NOT be allowed to significantly inhibit the development and use of harm-reduction products by smokers.
• E-cigs appear to be EFFECTIVE when used by smokers as an aid to QUITTING SMOKING.
• E-cigs are marketed as consumer products and are proving MUCH MORE POPULAR than NRT as a substitute and COMPETITOR for tobacco cigarettes.
• The hazard to health arising from long-term vapor inhalation is UNLIKELY TO EXCEED 5 PERCENT of the harm from smoking tobacco.
• Evidence indicates that e-cigs are being used almost exclusively as SAFER ALTERNATIVES to smoked tobacco, by confirmed smokers who are trying to REDUCE HARM to themselves OR OTHERS from smoking, or to quit smoking completely.
• In the interests of public health it is important to PROMOTE THE USE of e-cigs, NRT and other non-tobacco nicotine products as WIDELY as possible as a SUBSTITUTE for smoking in the UK.

You can find the full report here.

Stefan Didak

Stefan Didak is the founder and president of NOT Blowing Smoke. Prior to dedicating all his time to vaping advocacy he was a software engineer who started his first business at the age of 18 and for over 25 years was involved in developing 3D computer graphics and animation software. Stefan has been featured in many articles and interviews on the subject of vapor products, including professor Stanton Glantz’ Tobacco Control blog at the University of California, San Francisco.