The Royal College of Physicians in a 200-page report rejected arguments that e-cigarettes represent a gateway or normalise Smoking, and said vaping is a “much safer” alternative to smoking.
Use of vaping products in the UK is limited almost entirely to current and former users of tobacco, says RCP. The report looks at the science, public policy regulation and ethics surrounding e-cigarettes. Regulation is necessary but should not inhibit development of harm-reduction products, the study concludes.
“The growing use of electronic cigarettes as a substitute for tobacco smoking has been a topic of great controversy, with much speculation over their potential risks and benefits," said Professor John Britton, chairman of the RCP Tobacco Advisory Group. "This report lays to rest almost all of the concerns over these products, and concludes that, with sensible regulation, electronic cigarettes have the potential to make a major contribution towards preventing the premature death, disease and social inequalities in health that smoking currently causes in the UK. Smokers should be reassured that these products can help them quit all tobacco use forever.”