NHS Health Scotland have released a consensus statement signed by more than 20 organisations, expressing that e-cigarettes are definitely less harmful than smoking and they will be endorsing them as a smoking cessation tool.
Combating misconceptions
The statement was written with the intention of clearing up any confusion about whether e-cigarettes are safe to use.
Dr Andrew Fraser, Director of Public Health Science at NHS Health Scotland has stated;
“Recent research has shown an emerging perception among the general public that e-cigarettes are just as harmful to health as tobacco is. This is not the case – we know from current evidence that vaping carries less risk than smoking tobacco. So, it would be a good thing if smokers used e-cigarettes instead of smoking tobacco.”
The statement has been signed by a number of agencies; the Scottish government, health boards, academia and charities, including ASH Scotland, Cancer Research UK, the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, and the University of Edinburgh. It could be a big step in spreading the word about the benefits of e-cigarettes, as the misconception that they are just as harmful as smoking has been widely spread by the media, which has had a big impact on the public’s perception.
Dual users should fully make the switch
It is strongly expressed in the statement that research has found no benefits to dual use, this is when a person uses an e-cigarette but also continues to smoke tobacco.
Linda Bauld, Professor of Health Policy at the University of Stirling explains;
“It is good to see NHS Health Scotland and partners making it clear that e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco. We also need to get the point across to people that, based on what we know to date, that dual use (using e-cigarettes without stopping smoking) is still bad for your health. So we would strongly encourage anyone who is using both to stop smoking tobacco as soon as they can.”
E-cigarettes have been found to be at least 95% less harmful than smoking, and they offer a successful and effective stop smoking aid.
Health officials throughout the UK now endorse e-cigarettes and millions of people have successfully quit smoking by switching to vaping.
If you would like to learn more about e-cigarettes and whether they could help you or someone you know quit smoking, head over to our website or contact your local stop smoking services for more information.
https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-scotland-41333537
https://www.healthscotland.scot/media/1575/ecigs-consensus-media-release_final-002.pdf
