I think youāre wrong there Pixie. Thereās no good evidence that e-cigarettes could cause the lung condition called popcorn lung. Cancer Research UK has this to say about it.
As a vaper and smoker of 2 cigs/day, I find it incredible that the Government should be proposing to put e-cigs on prescription. My vaping habit costs me about Ā£3.50/week, my tobacco habit is around Ā£8.80/wk. I am quite happy to continue paying those sums.
I get what youāre trying to say and the government probably would make a handsome profit if they put vaping liquid on prescription ā¦
Itās an interesting thought with possibilities except, should they choose to regulate vaping products (which the government make murmurs about now and then) and impose a hefty duty then the proceeds might just as easily go in the Treasury as opposed to direct to the NHS.
Youāre at odds with the general consensus because you see smoking as an addiction rather than the general view that it is a āweaknessā.
Most folk will think on āprincipleā that the NHS shouldnāt subsidise a vice.
I happen to agree with you that not all people might be able to quit too.
Should smokers pay for their own vaping?
As itās considerably cheaper than fags why not.
Iād be more interested in how the government is gong to tackle obesity before that bankrupts the NHS ā¦ something alcoholism, substance abuse or smoking will never do.
Would the NHS really make a profit though? I donāt think that can be how it works, although I donāt know why.
But if that were true, why did the NHS stop prescribing cheap over the counter medicines like paracetamol, in order to save themselves money?
I know the NHS has to pay the pharmacists a fee for each prescription item they issue. Perhaps any profits from the prescription fees would get swallowed up by that and other admin costs?
I would imagine somewhere along the line the cost to the NHS for more expensive drugs from the pharmaceutical company who develop them and/or own the licence to produce the drugs comes into play.
Vaping is cheap enough now but that doesnāt mean it would remian so if it was regulated.
Yes, I see your point and I really do understand that their are people physically addicted to nicotine who will have to prioritise it over everything else and the NHS getting them off it would help not only their physical and mental health but also their family and quality of life
And thinking a bit deeper, if a NHS prescription is Ā£9.50 per item and a bottle of Vape fluid about Ā£5, then people who have to pay for their prescription will probably choose to buy their own and that will leave the NHS only covering the less well off who get free prescriptions?
Actually, Morticia, I think they should, but I am just trying to make the point that the issue is not as straight forward as some are trying to make it seem. And although smokers must take responsibility for the situation they are in, I find the lack of sympathy among some here quite distaseful. Human beings make mistakes and bad choices, we all do it to some extent. The hardness of attitude of some people is disturbing.
I know what you mean ā¦ as an ex-smoker Iām on the smokers side.
I think they get a rough deal and when I was still a smoker often felt I was considered some kind of social leper.
A drug addict often received more sympathy.
I smoked and tried vaping to help me cut down.
Whilst Iām sure everyone has differing success rates to report I managed to cut down from 25-30 fags a day to 8-10 a day in one year, after smoking for 40 years.
I just knew I could never stop ācold turkeyā .
I could never go cold turkey ā¦ though Iād heard many a smoker say itās purgatory to just cut down rather than just stop.
And it is.
Youād be amazed how frustrated and angry you get with yourself if you promise yourself to cut down and one day slip up and have one ciggie too many.
Very demoralising. I used to get myself into a right despondent lather over it.
Thatās why I approve of vaping if itās the only way to do it ā¦ and I applaud those who can just quit. That does take some willpower.
Iām happy to be wrong, Percy, just what Iāve read. And it was a while ago when it was first starting to gain popularity as an alternative so it probably is just scaremongering,
There were concerns about popcorn lung but the chemical that could cause it was banned in e-cigarettes in 2018.
However, I reckon itās safe to assume they are not totally safe, nothing is thesedays with food additives or chemical secreted into products.
People are losing the tar content , which is one of the main benefits of jettisoning real fags regarding lung disease or cancer. ā¦ to be replaced with questions over the aerosol propellants.
It is a case of āpick your poisonā isnāt itā¦ or the lesser of two evils.
Iāll stick with a glass of wine I think I was round at the shop a wee while ago, and a man was buying cigarettes. The shopkeeper said āOh the price has gone up on these - they are now Ā£10.40ā he still bought themā¦blimey, over a tenner, I could do so much with that!