Ireland’s largest vaping trade association, Vape Business Ireland (VBI) has called on over 240,000 Irish vapers to share their switch story with local TDs to highlight how vaping has helped them move away from smoking. The association is making the call to mark World Vape Day 2021 an international celebration of vaping as a less harmful alternative to smoking and its role in harm reduction.
Commenting, VBI spokesperson John Twamley said: “The theme for this years World Vape Day is #GoTheExtraMile. With the Oireachtas Committee on Health soon to commence pre-legislative scrutiny of the Government’s Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill, it is vitally important that Irish vapers step up to raise their voice by informing local politicians about how vaping has helped them on their quit journey.
“We know from Healthy Ireland research that vaping is the second most used tool in successful quit attempts by former Irish smokers after will power alone. Embracing vaping products gives the Government and the Health Service Executive (HSE) a real opportunity to lower smoking prevalence rates as part of the overall ambition to achieve a Tobacco Free Ireland.
“We have seen first-hand the success of this approach in other jurisdictions, most notably the UK and New Zealand. The continuous downward trajectory of smoking rates in the UK is in no small part testament to the pragmatic approach taken towards vaping. We want our politicians to directly hear the stories and experiences of Irish vapers to get a true understanding of how a change in policy approach can have a lasting impact in achieving a tobacco free society for Ireland.”
The Irish Government has set a target of 5% smoking prevalence by 2025. However, the HSE admitted in The State of Tobacco Control in Ireland report published in 2018, that this goal will not be achieved until 2052.
Mr Twamley added: “We hope Irish vapers embrace World Vape Day as a chance to join vaping advocates worldwide in sharing their stories and information about vaping as an effective way to move away from smoking. We are encouraging Irish vapers to reach out directly to their locally elected representatives by email or across social media to ask that they objectively look at the evidence and the successful and pragmatic approach taken to vaping in other jurisdictions and embrace the opportunity that this presents to Ireland’s public health system. In the context of and upcoming discussion around the Bill it is imperative that the options and choice to switch to a less harmful alternative are respected.”