According to UK media outlet ITV’s report on October 10th, First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford addressed questions about e-cigarette use during a recent plenary session. He expressed a keen interest in the concept of “prescription-only e-cigarette use.” This policy has already been implemented in Australia, where only individuals seeking to quit traditional cigarettes are allowed to purchase e-cigarettes.
Drakeford made the above comments in response to a question from Darren Millar, a Conservative Party Member of the Senedd in Wales. He stated, “In Australia, you can only purchase e-cigarettes with a prescription; they are not available for sale in stores. Only under the supervision of a doctor and in a controlled smoking cessation program can e-cigarettes be used. Personally, I think this idea is very good.
It is worth mentioning that the Welsh government had previously called for a ban on the sale of disposable e-cigarettes. Taking this opportunity, Drayford voiced his opinion on the environmental impact of e-cigarettes, stating that the majority of e-cigarette users also use traditional cigarettes.
Drakeford stated: “1.3 million e-cigarettes are discarded every week, accumulating to 10 tons of lithium per year.” He also suggested that the evidence regarding whether e-cigarettes have a significant impact on smoking cessation may be more unclear than some people anticipate. “The majority of e-cigarette users are dual users, meaning they use both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, which does not reduce the harm caused by tobacco itself.
In light of the increasing prevalence of e-cigarette use among students in schools in Wales, new guidance has been published to assist principals in addressing this issue. Public Health Wales hopes that the new policy will help initiate discussions about the potential health impacts associated with these devices.
According to the data from a school health study, 20% of students in grades seven to eleven have reportedly experimented with e-cigarettes, with 5% of middle school students in Wales admitting to vaping at least once a week.
