Vaping Successes and Shortcomings: Addressing Ongoing Nicotine Addiction

Addiction Economy Thought for Today - ASH have done some new stats celebrating that nearly 3 million people have now quit smoking with a vape in the last 5 years. This is great news which we support.

Our beef with this is that vaping is the end game in their strategy, and that the 5.6 million vapers, and the young people not mentioned in the study, are not being offered anything to help them with their ongoing nicotine addiction. And many really want it and need it now. Government policy must change on that.

Interesting that the Dutch public health body RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment has 'Towards a Nicotine-Free Generation' as their goal, not our 'Towards a Smoke-free/Tobacco-free generation'.

https://lnkd.in/ePtViZgS

As Georgina Roberts shows writing entertainingly in The Times - being dependent on something is no fun, it makes you anxious and depressed and pissed off that you can't easily quit. Vapes are much more addictive than cigarettes (and are designed to be) this is also ignored even by the public health people we have spoken to who say 'we are focusing on the wrong thing'. Evidence of health harms is also growing. We can't ignore it.

Cessation help is needed urgently and is not currently planned for. We are speaking to local councils, school nurses, GP's and hospitals who have no budget for it and no guidance except on how to help people take it up. One South London council Smoking Cessation service is turning people away and can only afford to focus on cessation from cannabis vapes.

We are putting together a mini-campaign on this shortly with healthcare professional. If you have views, please share below.

https://lnkd.in/exAuAA3p