Would you say shops selling vaping supplies are good or bad for health? The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has come down firmly on the positive side of things, following a report into how healthy shops were in the UK. They produced the report by assessing the various types of shops throughout the country. They also gave each shop type a Richter Scale Score, determining how good or bad it was for health.
The score for each type of outlet was a plus or minus number. So, leisure centres factored with a +7 score as the healthiest outlets. Meanwhile, high-cost credit outlets ranked at a -4 score as the unhealthiest outlets.
Where did vape shops come in the scoring?
Leisure centres and health services came top of the list, with pharmacies, health clubs, libraries, and museums coming next. Then it was the turn of vape shops, which were given a score of +3 on the list – well above many other types of shop. Indeed, they came top of all the shops that sold goods rather than services.
The report pointed out that the number of vapers in the UK has soared over the past few years. In 2012, there were only around 700,000 vapers – a figure that has now soared to 3 million this year.
It is no surprise then to learn that vape shops have doubled in numbers in the past three years alone, rising from 1,000 outlets to 2,000. The report was keen to point out that no one can be certain of the likely long-term effects of vaping. However, it has been found to be far safer than smoking, owing to the absence of many of the harmful substances found in the average cigarette.
An encouraging report
Given the RSPH report highlights many harmful shops on our high streets (fast food outlets among them), it is encouraging to find out how they rated vape shops. Many people have managed to quit smoking since the vaping alternative was made available. Having high street vape shops available in many locations has made it more accessible for more people to give it a try.
With around 19% of adults smoking, the accessibility offered by these shops has a strong effect on public health. Are you pleased at the outcome of the report? Do you think vape shops are a positive in our high streets today?
