Should e-cigarettes be used in public spaces?

Simon Capewell, Professor of Public Health and Policy at the University, comments on a new report by MPs that states rules around e-cigarettes should be relaxed so they can be more widely used and accepted in society:

“Vaping in public spaces like offices, pubs and cafes is a bad thing because bystanders, adults and children, are at risk from inhaling the toxins and it undermines the hard-won victory to legislate for smoke-free public space.

“Big Tobacco companies will be thrilled by this report. They are using e-cigarettes as a ‘Trojan Horse’ to normalise the act of smoking, and to undermine decades of progress in Tobacco Control.

“A more balanced review of the evidence would conclude that e-cigarettes are no better for quitting smoking than things like nicotine gum, patches or tablets.”