ASH Scotland welcomes Scottish Government’s new Tobacco and Vaping Framework

Health charity ASH Scotland is welcoming the Scottish Government’s publication of its new Tobacco and Vaping Framework today.

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said: “We warmly welcome the new Tobacco and Vaping Framework and the Scottish Government’s determination to act as a public health priority on reducing the horrendous impacts imposed by the tobacco industry and its products on society.

“Tobacco continues to be the biggest preventable killer of people in Scotland, causing more than 8,000 deaths each year, and through the implementation of the targeted actions in this Framework, we look forward to an acceleration of progress in reducing the harms and inequalities caused by the profiteering tobacco industry and its lethal products.

“The alarming upsurge of children across Scotland using e-cigarettes is a cause for great concern as most recreational vaping products contain high levels of nicotine, which is extremely addictive, as well as toxic chemicals that have not been safety tested for inhalation and could damage lung health over time.

“Young people who use e-cigarettes are up to three times more likely to become addicted and to start smoking tobacco, so the Scottish Government’s commitment to running the ‘Take Hold’ public awareness campaign targeted at young people and carers to spotlight the risks of vaping is an essential first step towards halting what leading respiratory paediatricians in Scotland have described as a situation ‘fast becoming a vaping epidemic in the adolescent population’.

“With the government having already consulted on its proposed regulations to tighten rules on the advertising and promotions of recreational vaping products in 2022, ASH Scotland urges the Scottish Government to lay these regulations at the earliest opportunity as the next vital step to protect the health of children now and future generations.”