says, “they’re a lot cleverer than I was when I went to school
and they surely have enough time and the wherewithal to go
and research as much as they can about vaping?”
This seems to be the approach that many UK universities
have taken, by allowing staff and students on campus to
make up their own minds with comparatively lax rules on
campus vaping.
Of the top 10 UK universities in the Guardian’s 2019 league
table, none have completely banned vaping on campus –
though all operate either a total or partial smokefree policy.
For example The University of Leeds has a campus smokefree
policy, with lighting up prohibited between the hours of 8am
and 6pm. However, they are “for the time being, sympathetic
to vaping” and allow it on the smokefree campus.
Lancaster University takes the harshest stance on vaping
out of the top 10, with their smoking policy detailing vaping’s
potential to “cause lung disease” and pose a danger to
“secondary vapers” but, despite this, they permit vaping on
campus as long as it’s done outside buildings.
This difference in approach is something that Joe is critical
of, as he wishes Ireland would treat vaping similarly to the UK.
He says: “I don’t understand why certain NGO’s or societies
don’t have the same mandate; when you compare Cancer
Research UK and Ash UK to Cancer Research Ireland or Ash
Ireland, they’re on completely different wavelengths.”
And, like many supporters of vaping in Ireland, it’s the UK
that Joe believes people need to look to for expert advice and
reasonable policies.
“Banning vaping and
e-cigarettes is not advancing
public health, it’s merely
a reaction to media
sensationalism.”
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