UKVIA Writes to New Minister
The UK Vaping Industry Association has written to the new Public Health Minister Ashley Dalton calling for a meeting to discuss the smokefree potential of vaping
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by Dave Cross
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The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) says it has written to new Public Health Minister Ashley Dalton MP, inviting her to a meeting to discuss how vaping can best support the nation’s smokefree ambitions. Dalton’s appointment comes at a time when 5.2 million adults have used vaping to cut down on or stop smoking in Great Britain alone and follows news that half of all successful quit attempts over the past five years involved a vape.
UKVIA’s letter states: “On behalf of the UK Vaping Industry Association, the UK’s largest vaping industry body, we would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Minister for Public Health.
“Given that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is currently passing through the House of Commons, critical state of our NHS, and the decreasing likelihood of the UK reaching its smokefree ambitions, we would welcome a meeting with you to discuss how vaping can be more effectively harnessed as a tool to help adult smokers quit and prevent them from requiring future treatment for preventable illnesses stemming from long-term smoking.
“As you may be aware, there is conclusive evidence that vaping is the most effective way to help adult smokers quit. Yet while millions of former smokers have made the switch already, there remains a significant opportunity for the country to get its smokefree goals back on track. With this in mind, we would welcome the opportunity to meet in the coming weeks to discuss the way forward for vaping with a focus on significantly strengthening enforcement frameworks tackling the issue of youth vaping.
“The UK’s vaping industry is already playing a key role in drastically reducing the number of smokers seeking medical attention for their related conditions, and we would be grateful for the opportunity to work with you to support your mission of creating an NHS fit for the future.
“We would like to reiterate that the UKVIA has no members from the tobacco industry, nor does it receive any funding from the tobacco industry. Furthermore, we do not consult with or meet with any tobacco companies on any matter, nor are any of our members owned by tobacco industry participants (partially or otherwise).
“The UKVIA has been glad to be able to work with Department of Health officials over the past few months, and we look forward to working with you and your team in the future.”
Planet of the Vapes hopes that Ashley Dalton takes up the UKVIA on its offer as Andrew Gwynne, the previous holder of the post, failed to talk to any industry or consumer groups as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill was drafted and discussed in committee.
Photo Credit:
Image obtained from Unsplash
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
