A little bit of politics

If you do remember Saturday Night Live then you’ll also remember Harry Enfield’s character screaming out the 80’s slogan “Loadsamoney!”

The stakes are high. The latest figures, from 2012, say that we as a nation spent £15.1billion on tobacco and the current estimate is that vaping will overtake smoking by 2023.

In Wales there are moves to ban vaping from enclosed public spaces and work areas. Consequently, if this interests you, you might wish to watch to the speech given by Kirsty Williams to the Welsh Assembly where she says that there is “no justification” for a ban in Wales. As speeches go, and I try to avoid them if I can, it is a good one. Passionately, logically she explained the logical fallacies to the other members, pointing out that people vape “to help them stop smoking or helping them stay stopped.”

In stark contrast to the goings on across the Atlantic, where a lot of media coverage is being given to the notion of vaping being a gateway into smoking, Kirsty Williams told the assembled that there is “no evidence” that this is the case.

Additionally, if you feel so inclined, Public Health England published independent evidence papers on e-cigarettes, on the 15th May, which will form part of the terms of reference for any impending laws. Worth reading if you are interested or suffer from insomnia.

Finally, if you are new to all of the comings and goings, or have just got lost, the arguments are summed up very well on the Saveecigs blog, in response to some of the points made during the debate in Wales.