It won’t be long before doctors in the U.K. can write vaping prescriptions. Government officials recently announced that e-cigarettes might be prescribed to smokers as a cessation aid. Although health officials acknowledge that these products are not risk-free, they hope that greater access to vaping will also help the country reach its smoke-free goal by the end of the decade.
Positive Benefits of E-Cigarettes (Vapes)
The U.S. and its public health experts have been far more skeptical of e-cigarettes’ benefits than the U.K. and its experts. E-cigarettes are approximately 95% safer than tobacco cigarettes, according to a report published by Public Health England in 2015. Furthermore, a subsequent report has expressed optimism about how these products might help smokers quit or make the switch to exclusively vaping by the year 2030.
An important element of the plan put forth by the British governing party is that nicotine vaping products will be medically licensed, which will allow them to be prescribed by doctors and covered through the National Health Service, the nation’s single-payer healthcare system. Health regulators in the United Kingdom announced this week that they would soon make available the guidelines necessary for vaping companies to apply for a license. After going through the standard approval process that all drugs go through, the companies will eventually have their e-cigarettes available for everyone to purchase via a doctor once they have been approved for sale. Under 18 are still not allowed to use prescription or non-prescription e-cigarettes in the United States.
In a recent statement, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid stated that the possibility of the NHS prescribing and selling e-cigarettes would be a big help in tackling the stark disparities in smoking rates across the country and helping people to quit their habit, wherever they live and whatever their background may be.
The Logic Behind This Change
This change has a straightforward logic behind it. There is no doubt that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and serious illness in the U.K. The argument goes that making e-cigarettes widely available (i.e. at no charge) to users of the NHS (which is already overburdened with a costly health care system) will help smokers quit and reduce health care costs.
The fact that e-cigarette brands will purchase a license doesn’t seem to be a big deal. Smokers already have access to low-nicotine products provided by the NHS, including skin patches, chewing gum, nasal and mouth sprays, and inhalators. Health care harm-reduction isn’t a new concept. The opioid and heroin addicts are helped by methadone, for example. Despite this, e-cigarettes are pretty special – they come in a variety of flavours such as bubblegum and vanilla custard (if you’re into that), have celebrity followings and have passionate fan clubs on social media.
According to research, more people stop smoking, at least temporarily, with nicotine e-cigarettes than those who use other nicotine replacement therapies (nine to 14 in 100 smokers). It only makes sense for them to be available on the NHS if they help smokers quit who otherwise would not have tried them.
Final Words
Though vaping seems to have declined since its peak in Britain, there are concerns about the impact of normalization. The average British teenager has tried e-cigarettes around 11% of the time, and regular use remains low. In comparison to smokers, e-cigarette users tend to be from more privileged social groups. The perception among teenagers that are vaping is harmful has also been increasing.