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ASH chief executive Deborah Arnott:
“ASH is concerned that the reports from the US will be discouraging vaping in the UK. British vapers can be reassured that
there have been no reports of serious side effects from UK e-cigarettes. But they should only be buying from mainstream
suppliers who are selling regulated products. To use black market products carries risks that can’t be quantifi ed.”
Prof Linda Bauld, public health expert at Edinburgh University:
“It seems highly unlikely that widely-available, nicotine-containing vaping products, particularly of the type regulated in Europe,
are causing these cases. All the evidence to date suggests that illicit marijuana vaping products (THC oils) are the cause. In
particular, a compound called tocopherol acetate may be the culprit.”
Paul Aveyard, professor of behavioural medicine at the University of Oxford:
“These cases are worrying and need investigating but advice from all offi cial bodies in the UK is that it is always preferable to
vape than to smoke. These reports should not change that advice.”
Dr Lion Shahab, associate professor in health psychology at University College London:
“Banning [flavours] would not have prevented this recent outbreak. It is, of course, unfortunate that people use bootlegged
products to vape illegal drugs; however, this problem is not unique to e-cigarettes and similarly applies to bootlegged alcohol and
Class A drugs used for recreational purposes.”
Doug Mutter, compliance director at VPZ:
“There have been reports that the majority of the cases have been linked to people using illicit vaping fluid bought on the
streets, with some containing cannabis products, like THC. Vaping is already proving to be a key weapon in the UK’s stop
smoking strategy and is bringing momentum to the country’s ambition of becoming smoke-free by 2030.”
“There is no situation where it would be
better for your health to continue smoking rather
than switching completely to vaping.”
Jane Johnson, Del Boys Ecig and Vape Store, Derby:
“Seven years ago, I tried vaping. I smoked nearly 40 fags a day. The vape gave me everything I needed: throat hit, nicotine and,
of course, vapour. My smoking days ended within a week. I have never looked back. I feel healthier, I look healthier and more
than anything, it gave me the energy to play, run and do other activities with my children that I had struggled to do without
getting out of breath. This is why I’m in the industry and why I get up every morning to go to work. If I can change someone
else’s life like I did mine, then I’m happy.”
UKVIA spokesman Dan Marchant:
“In the UK, we are proud to be a standard bearer for a consumer-driven industry which has already helped millions of people
across the world stop smoking. We will continue to work with the public health community in the UK to spread the facts
about vaping, which Public Health England [PHE] continues to advise is 95 percent less harmful than smoking and is the most
effective way for the UK’s remaining seven million smokers to quit.”
New Nicotine Alliance (NNA):
“Whether it is journalists chasing click-bait or ideologically-driven harm reduction sceptics in the UK health community, they
are actively deterring many thousands of smokers from either opting to switch to a far safer form of nicotine consumption or
guiding those who may be using e-cigarettes to move back to smoking, based on no proper evidence whatsoever. This is not a
game. The crass conflation of vaping with illicit, unregulated and deadly, illegal, drug-containing liquids will cost lives and they
should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.”
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Public Health England:
“Our advice on e-cigarettes remains unchanged - vaping isn’t completely risk free but is far less harmful than smoking tobacco.
There is no situation where it would be better for your health to continue smoking rather than switching completely to vaping.”
VAPER EXPO 105