Members of the UK’s lower and upper houses are due to congregate outside the Palace of Westminster today to call on Parliament to set an example by opening its doors to vaping.
The members of the two houses will be led by Mark Pawsey (pictured), MP for Rugby and chairperson of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for E-Cigarettes, in supporting the launch of VApril, a nation-wide campaign aimed at encouraging the UK’s seven million smokers to switch to vaping, which is now seen by many people as one of the best ways to break the smoking habit.
The campaign is being organized by the UK Vaping Association (UKVIA) and fronted by Christian Jessen, who is a medical doctor, television presenter and writer.
“Vaping is now recognised as one of the best ways to quit smoking and therefore presents a major opportunity to make a significant and positive impact on the public health of the nation,” Pawsey was quoted as saying in a press note put out by the UKVIA. “Yet only one in 10 people understand the relative minor risk of vaping compared to smoking.
“Even in our own Parliament vapers are treated the same as smokers, forced into outdoor areas far removed from their places of work. It is time we practice what we preach and make Parliament ‘vape friendly’. That is why we are seeking to change the rules in Parliament so we can set an example to the public and businesses across the country.”
Meanwhile, Jessen said that, according to a recent report by Public Health England (PHE), e-cigarettes might be contributing to at least 20,000 successful new quits per year – with the industry estimating this figure to be much higher.
“But as a doctor it’s disappointing to hear that an estimated 40 percent of smokers still haven’t even tried vaping.
“I’m delighted to be joining forces with the UK Vaping Industry Association to launch VApril. VApril is all about helping more smokers to make a successful and permanent switchover. I personally believe vaping has overwhelming potential to help smokers break their habit, and this is important because stopping the habit is the single most significant step that people can make to improve their health. We hope that smokers across the UK will put down their cigarettes for a month, take the VApril Challenge and give themselves the best chance of quitting smoking for good.”
Smokers are being encouraged to take the VApril challenge across the UK by dropping into vaping masterclasses being provided by specialist vaping stores during April. They will receive a free guide – Vape to Break the Smoking Habit – to help them transition from smoking to vaping and give them the best chance of a successful quit.
More information is available at: www.vapril.org.
Uniting around e-cigs
