The UK’s Attitude Toward Vaping Deserves Praise

 　　The UK is the first country in the world to recommend e-cigarettes to smokers as part of its official tobacco control plan. This is a 32-page control plan that applies only to England, excluding Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

  　　Clive Bates, a former UN Environment Programme advisor, former senior advisor and deputy director of the UK Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, former director general of the Welsh Government's Department for Sustainable Futures, and current director of the UK Medical Policy Reform Foundation, wrote in his blog: “This may be the first significant government document to fully recognize and strive to reduce tobacco harm, defining these technologies as opportunities rather than restricted threats.”   　　The UK has been a pioneer in promoting e-cigarettes—pioneers.   　　This plan is in stark contrast to tobacco control in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health may suggest that smokers use products like e-cigarettes to reduce tobacco harm and improve their health.   　　The UK has been a pioneer in promoting e-cigarettes—pioneers. This is not a long time ago; in fact, in 2015, the Public Health England (PHE) published “E-cigarettes: A New Evidence Review,” which fundamentally changed the basis of tobacco control and clarified the gap between harm reduction and prohibition in public health.   　　Using e-cigarettes in the workplace? Yes, please!   　　Last year, Public Health England (PHE) issued guidance to employers, reminding them: “Different policies apply in different places, but policies should take into account the practical situation and need to distinguish e-cigarette users from smokers.”   　　The tobacco control plan formalizes this recommendation. Clive Bates wrote: “This means that regulations regarding e-cigarettes should be decided by the owners and managers of the venues, and there is no legal obligation for owners to enforce anything. This position is absolutely ethical.”   　　Will post-Brexit Britain still enforce the TPD?   　　The EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) prompted many voters to vote in favor of the UK leaving the EU last year. The tobacco control plan provides the first official hint that the UK is likely to abandon the enforcement of the TPD after leaving the EU.   　　The Department of Health stated: “We will look to determine how we can wisely relax regulations on e-cigarettes without threatening public health, as well as how EU regulations limit our ability to deal with tobacco. In particular, the government will reassess recent legislation, including the TPD, applicable to e-cigarettes, and consider opportunities to amend these legislative terms after the UK leaves the EU to support improved health conditions across the UK.”   　　The UK is doing well with e-cigarettes, so what about our country? What attitude will be taken toward e-cigarettes? We shall see!