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REPORT SHOWS COUNCIL WORKPLACE VAPING POLICIES ARE OUT OF TOUCH WITH PHE RECOMMENDATIONS
A report published by libertarian pressure group , The Freedom Association ( TFA ), has revealed that UK councils are significantly out-of-step with the Tobacco Control Plan and Public Health England recommendations when it comes to workplace vaping policies .
The 2017 Vaping Policies in UK Councils report was commissioned as part of TFA ’ s ‘ Freedom to Vape ’ campaign , spearheaded by vaper and former smoker , Andrew Allison . It reveals that almost two-thirds of the 391 councils who responded to a Freedom of Information Act request refused to review their e-cigarette policies following PHE ’ s recommendation that e-cigarettes should not be routinely included in smokefree policies .
“ Many of the councils are unwilling to listen to advice or engage in the debate at all , despite the fact that council employees could benefit from using e-cigarettes to help them stop smoking ,” Mr Allison told Vapouround .
Some of the councils ’ responses to the questions posed by Mr Allison demonstrate a significant lack of awareness of the Tobacco Control Plan or Public Health England ’ s recommendations .
For example , East Lindsey District Council said : “ There is no established evidence that e-cigarettes are safe , effective or produced to any standard or quality . There is evidence that such products produce emissions which could be harmful to others . The use of e- cigarettes in the workplace is therefore prohibited .”
Far from being a problem exclusive to UK councils , Mr Allison believes that the report ’ s findings reflect a wider societal disdain for vapers .
“ Some people aren ’ t just anti-smoking . They ’ re ‘ anti-smoker ’. They see vaping as smokers trying to ‘ cheat ’ somehow ”.
There are around 65.6 million people in the UK , 2.9 million of which are vapers . That ’ s about 4 % of the overall population . Given the relatively low number of vapers in any given workplace , it seems unlikely that many organisations will implement more positive vape policies in the near future .
Mr Allison believes that those of us wanting more appropriate workplace vaping policies face an uphill battle .
“ MANY NON-SMOKERS AND NON-VAPERS JUST AREN ’ T INTERESTED – THEY FEEL NO NEED TO ENGAGE IN THE DEBATE BECAUSE IT DOESN ’ T AFFECT THEM ”.
Nonetheless , it is worth reiterating that it would be relatively easy for employers to create a modern vaping policy if they were willing to listen to advice from industry experts and the likes of PHE . The irony is that decades of anti-smoking legislation has made society hostile to what is probably the most successful smoking-cessation tool ever devised . As long as people continue to see traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes as two sides of the same coin , their distaste for smoking will negatively inform their opinion of vaping .
As Mr Allison rightly points out , it ’ s not just up to the public sector to adopt a modern approach to vaping .
“ There should be designated vaping areas in all kinds of organisations , which would help to normalise vaping . More pro-vape businesses should take the lead and encourage others to follow ”.
In response to the publication of the report , Mark Pawsey MP , Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for E-Cigarettes , said :
“ E-cigarettes are an incredibly effective tool for smokers looking to quit . Many organisations , including councils , erred on the side of caution when this new technology came on to the market , but as repeated studies have shown , vaping is considerably safer than smoking . If the only way a smoker can quit is through the use of an e-cigarette we should do all we can to assist those efforts , not hinder them ”.
We have seen and experienced first-hand just how beneficial e-cigarettes can be and we have a growing body of science to back this up . But this report has shown that it takes more than governmental support and hard science to win people over . The industry itself can only do so much to change hearts and minds – it ’ s up to pioneering , open-minded businesses on the outside to help normalise vaping in workplaces and public spaces .
24 | VM15