Should e-cigarettes be banned in enclosed public places?
04 April 2014
Should e-cigarettes be banned in enclosed public places?
On a recent Guardian Comment is Free blog, the overwhelming opinion appeared to be ‘no’.
The debate was introduced on the site following a proposed ban by Welsh ministers. Mark Drakeford, health minister for Wales, said e-cigarettes would re-normalise smoking, be a gateway to smoking real cigarettes, and children might be tempted to use them.
The comments on Comment is Free ranged from the indignant:
Some people just have the urgent and overwhelming desire to find anyone who is enjoying themselves and stamp it out immediately.
To the apocalyptic:
Banning e cigs will kill people. keeping them legal and promoting their use responsibly will save millions of lives. it’s really not that complicated.
To the absurd:
The irony is that the rain from the sky is probably more dangerous. Can be can’t it? As we have recently witnessed.
Meanwhile, the site appeared to be completely absent of individuals who had any concern about e-cigarettes, or ‘vaping’.
So here it is.
The truth is that e-cigarettes are so new, and the science behind their safety far from certain, that it is at present impossible to know if they are completely safe. There have been no studies on the long-term effects of regular nicotine-vapour inhalation. While it is possible that e-cigarettes are safer than real cigarettes, ‘That’s like saying I bet it’s better than inhaling truck exhaust,’ says one Huffington Post contributor.
Here’s another truth: In Scotland, there is no existing legislation against under-18s buying e-cigarettes. That means that the hard work being done by the public and third sector to curb tobacco use amongst young people could unravel as they take up vaping, the ‘safe’ alternative that is normalised because ‘everyone does it’.
But how safe is it? The reality is, we still don’t know. And until we do, we must think carefully about whether we want to replace tobacco-smoke-free pubs, restaurants, offices and bus shelters with their vaping-friendly alternatives.