It feels like vapers have had a raw deal lately – contending with being banned from vaping in more and more public places, thanks to new rules and regulations being introduced here, there and everywhere.
So it might come as a refreshing change to find that Bristol Council has come out in favour of vaping. As vapers everywhere will no doubt know, many myths have sprung up recently that have given vaping a bad name. Despite the fact there are all kinds of statistics available that say vaping is better for you than smoking, you wouldn’t think this given some of the scare stories out there today.
But Bristol Council has got ahead of the curve. Earlier in March, the city council actually went out and about to try and convert smokers to vapers. It sounds unlikely, but it happened. Fi Hance, a local councillor who has special responsibility for public health matters, is a former smoker, and so was the ideal person to support the campaign. Fi pointed out that people trying to quit smoking will still get a hit of nicotine from vaping, but the nasties normally associated with cigarettes aren’t present. The campaign focused primarily on the lack of carbon monoxide in e-cigs as opposed to cigarettes, but Fi also mentioned tar and other toxic substances.
Carbon monoxide tests offered on National No Smoking Day
The annual event took place on 9th March this year, and members of Bristol Council took up temporary residence in four e-cigarette shops across the city that day. They were providing free carbon monoxide tests to those who were willing to have them, in order to determine what the levels would be in people who smoked, compared to those who had switched to vaping instead.
We’ve all heard of carbon monoxide. You may have heard it referred to as the silent killer. You may be aware that gas appliances in your home can leak carbon monoxide if they are not serviced regularly or develop a fault. We’ve certainly all read stories that have told of people who died because they were inhaling carbon monoxide from a faulty appliance, without even realising it.
Now you won’t get anywhere near as much carbon monoxide from a cigarette as you would in a situation like that. But let’s be honest, none of us can sit here and say inhaling carbon monoxide from a cigarette is good for us. This is one of the reasons why Bristol Council is hoping to encourage people to switch from smoking to vaping.
How safe is vaping?
Most sensible people realise vaping isn’t without its risks. You’re still inhaling nicotine, after all. However, it’s more than possible to get e-liquids in various strengths, so you can reduce the amount of nicotine you inhale over time. E-cigarettes may not be a miracle cure, but if they help you stop smoking, you’re instantly getting rid of a significant amount of carbon monoxide, toxins and tar out of your system. Doesn’t that sound better than the alternative, which is to carry on smoking all that?
The council also helped bust some of the most common myths that have sprung up around e-cigarettes. For example, it was feared that some might start vaping and then switch to smoking – particularly with regard to young people and children. However, this has been shown not to be the case. Other myths include the idea that e-cigarettes can be as harmful as smoking. We’ve already mentioned above the reasons why this simply isn’t true.
So we think the efforts of Bristol City Council are admirable in helping raise awareness of vaping, especially among smokers who are looking for a way to quit but cannot do so on their own. While there are other methods of stopping smoking, vaping has proven to be very successful for some people. There will always be other forms of support available, and in some instances these methods can be used in conjunction with vaping. For example, having the support of loved ones who have already quit or simply wish to provide emotional support is great. But that isn’t always enough, as many have already found out.
The council has also created a website called Smoke Free Bristol. This has prominent links on the home page to information about e-cig retailers, both in Bristol and online, as well as guidance for those wishing to use e-cigs. They provide free support groups in the area, as well as other stop smoking services.
While the efforts of Bristol Council have been admirable in recent weeks, we wonder whether teams from other councils up and down the country will see them and decide to do something similar. Somehow we doubt whether many of them will, but we would love nothing better than to be proven wrong.
