You could soon vape at your DESK – as MPs call for e-cigarette ban to be lifted

According to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping (APPGV), employers should provide designated indoor vaping areas – including in the Houses of Parliament.

They want vaping to be more acceptable around the workplace with proper vaping policies for businesses and public places to be put in place in a bid to tackle "misunderstandings" about the practice.

The group believes that guidelines for "reasonable vaping etiquette" should be drawn up and that all outside areas should be available to vapers unless there's a legitimate safety or professional reason to stop it.

APPGV chairman Mark Pawsey said that Britain's current anti-vaping culture created a "false" impression among the public that passive vaping was as harmful as passive smoking.

"Indeed, this lack of understanding was very evident in Parliament itself, a place many will look to for an example.

"There are only two designated vaping locations, and despite being a member for eight years, I still have no idea where either of these locations are," he said.

Both of the sites are outside and "given the size of the Parliament Estate could be a significant distance away from an employee or visitors' location," MPs stated.

It comes after council bosses in Dundee banned staff from vaping anywhere during work hours – even if they're off the premises.

While the British Heart Foundation doesn't advise non-smokers to start smoking e-cigs, Public Health England estimates that they're 95 per cent less harmful than regular cigarettes – thanks to the fact that they don't create toxic tobacco smoke.

Hazel Cheeseman, Director of Policy for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) told The Sun: “Public health organisations like ASH and PHE have long said that we need clear policies that distinguish between vaping and smoking.

"When organisations treat them the same, without being clear that e-cigarettes are a much less harmful alternative, it fuels public misunderstanding and makes it less likely that smokers will switch and protect their health.

"Whether people choose to allow vaping inside the workplace will depend on individual circumstances.

"But what is crucial is that employees understand that vaping is not as harmful as smoking and any restrictions are not about health but about courtesy in the working environment."

A report by PHE published in 2015 found that e-cigs were so much less harmful than smoking, that they could pave the way for the real "game changer" in regards to helping prisons go smoke-free.

A project to get prisons in England to implement smoke-free policies is now fully underway, with vaping playing a critical role.

Prior to the project starting, around 50,000 prisoners were buying tobacco.

Today, prison canteens sell over 65,000 vaping protects to 33,000 prisoners – suggesting a significant reduction in harm.

According to Public Health Matters, 14.9 per cent of adults in England smoke tobacco. In prison, 80 per cent of people smoke.

If vaping really is 95 per cent safer, that could see a massive reduction in the 78,000 smoke-related deaths we see in England every year.

Daniel Pryor, Head of Programmes at the Adam Smith Institute told The Sun: "Britain’s businesses should make it as easy as possible for smokers to switch to e-cigs, which are at least 95 per cent safer than cigarettes.

"The latest scientific evidence shows no risks from so-called 'passive vaping', so letting vapers use their devices considerately indoors is a no-brainer for public health and personal freedom.

"Not having to pop out for a puff in the pouring rain could make the difference between someone stopping smoking using an e-cig and their quit attempt ending in failure.

"And stopping could make the difference between living a long and healthy life, or dying early of cancer."

The New Nicotine Alliance (NNA) has welcomed the Parliamentary report, with its chair, Sarah Jakes, saying: "The Parliamentary estate becoming vape-friendly would send a strong message to other employers and venue owners that vapers should be encouraged, not harassed, and would help to educate the public that vapers are simply former smokers doing something that is good for their health.

"There are currently 3.2 million vapers in the UK, 1.7 million of whom have quit smoking entirely using e-cigarettes.

"This has contributed to the rate of smoking prevalence plummeting, but many smokers are still hesitant due to misperceptions surrounding vaping.

"More liberal workplace policies can have the dual benefit of correcting these misperceptions while also providing a more encouraging environment for vapers to prevent relapse, as well as for smokers considering vaping instead."

Back in August, MPs called for e-cigs to be made free on the NHS as a "key weapon" in the health service's stop-smoking arsenal.



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