MP’s kick off ‘VApril’ with call for vaping in parliament
MPs have debated many issues in the Houses of Parliament. Now they are set to call for Parliament to set an example nationwide by opening their doors to vaping in one of the most iconic buildings in the world.
This week (Thursday 29th March) a number of MPs and members of the House of Lords, led by Mark Pawsey MP for Rugby and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for E-Cigarettes, will congregate outside the Houses of Parliament to make their call as part of the launch of VApril, a nationwide campaign being fronted by TV doctor, Dr Christian Jessen to encourage the UK’s 7m smokers to switch to vaping, which is now seen as one of the best ways to break the smoking habit.
Organised by the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), VApril follows evidence recently published by Public Health England which highlights that vaping is likely to be at least 95% less harmful than smoking and that there are substantial health benefits from completely switching from conventional cigarettes to e-cigarettes.
Mark Pawsey commented: “Vaping is now recognised as one of the best ways to quit smoking and therefore presents a major opportunity to make a significant and positive impact on the public health of the nation. Yet only one in 10 people understand the relative minor risk of vaping compared to smoking.
“Even in our own Parliament vapers are treated the same as smokers, forced into outdoor areas far removed from their places of work. It is time we practice what we preach and make Parliament ‘vape friendly.’ That is why we are seeking to change the rules in Parliament so we can set an example to the public and businesses across the country.”
Dr Christian Jessen said: “According to a recent report by Public Health England (PHE), e-cigarettes may be contributing to at least 20,000 successful new quits per year – with the industry estimating this figure to be much higher. But as a doctor it’s disappointing to hear that an estimated 40% of smokers still haven’t even tried vaping.
“I’m delighted to be joining forces with the UK Vaping Industry Association to launch VApril. VApril is all about helping more smokers to make a successful and permanent switchover. I personally believe vaping has overwhelming potential to help smokers break their habit, and this is important because stopping the habit is the single most significant step that people can make to improve their health. We hope that smokers across the UK will put down their cigarettes for a month, take the VApril Challenge and give themselves the best chance of quitting smoking for good.”
Smokers are being encouraged to take the VApril challenge across the UK by dropping into vaping masterclasses being provided by specialist vaping stores during April. They will also receive a free guide – Vape to Break the Smoking Habit – to help them transition from smoking to vaping and give them the best chance of a successful quit.
John Dunne, a director of the UK Vaping Industry Association, added: “There is a real need for greater awareness of vaping amongst the millions of UK smokers, this VApril campaign will encourage more of them to consider vaping as a positive move to quitting. It is estimated that there are currently some 3 million vapers in the UK, with almost half of these having quit smoking entirely. VApril aims to encourage more to doing the same.”
There is a dedicated VApril website – www.vapril.org – where smokers across the UK can find out more information about where they can take the VApril challenge, hear about vapers’ experiences, download a special guide for first time vapers and access a range of frequently asked questions about vaping.