Sir, – A review published by Public Health England on February 6th recommended that health bodies and the NHS in the UK should make vaping products (or e-cigarettes) available in hospital shops alongside nicotine replacement therapies. This is a ground-breaking, forward-thinking piece of research by a public health body which has the potential to help thousands of smokers move to non-tobacco products.
Meanwhile in Ireland, the HSE responded to the review by stating that it had no intention of providing smokers with information on its Quit.ie website about vaping and that there is a lack of evidence that it aids smoking cessation.
This viewpoint is totally refuted by the Department of Health’s own Healthy Ireland survey, which found that 37 per cent of smokers used vaping to successfully quit, as opposed to 45 per cent through willpower alone, meaning that just 18 per cent used nicotine replacement therapies to quit smoking, which are the only products that smokers receive information about. If Ireland is serious about reaching a tobacco-free Ireland by 2025, it is time the HSE and Department of Health stopped ignoring consumer behaviour and legitimate research. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL KENNEALLY,
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Director of Vape
Business Ireland,
Kinsale Road,
Cork.