Households across the UK are staring into a financial abyss as the cost-of-living crisis continues. A combination of factors have meant the majority of people are facing staggering inflation without adequate wages to support them. From Covid fallout and the war in Ukraine, to the catastrophic Truss-Kwarteng Mini Budget, the financial deck has been loaded against the working man since the start of 2022.
Since taking office, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been working to undo much of the damage done by Truss, including talks of raising national living wages. Despite this, many families are having to choose between heating and eating, and Mr Sunak still has a long way to go to stabilise the UK economy.
The reality is that while pressures on individuals make headlines, the UK’s infrastructure and services are facing more pressure than ever before. Experts have scrambled to find new ways to generate revenue and reduce expense to keep institutions like the NHS afloat.
How can Vaping Help Stabilise the Economy?
Mark Oates, director of consumer advocacy group, We Vape, says that vaping poses a solution to the ‘financial abyss’ faced by households due to Liz Truss’s “disastrous mini budget”. He argues that the promotion of vaping would also help the current Prime Minister to “reduce the financial burden on a crippled NHS”. He feels that E-liquids and Vaping Devices can play a dual role in reducing harm and expense – someone should tell him what you can save with one of our subscriptions!
“As Rishi Sunak attempts to navigate the country out of Truss’s disastrous mini budget, he has a unique opportunity to not only save millions of people cash, but also significantly reduce the financial burden on a crippled NHS, now facing a mass strike by nurses,” comments Oates.
Referencing the recent Khan Review, Oates went on to say:
“It is five months since the Dr Javed Khan report into ‘making smoking obsolete’ was published. Little has been done since as the Conservatives battled through groping and bullying scandals and two leadership contests in as many months.”
“But the government commissioned review made it perfectly clear - vaping should be promoted at every level to save lives, whilst making sure young people and non-smokers do not start. This is because every credible health source - from Cancer Research UK to the NHS - now accepts vaping is far safer than smoking.”
“So, if the review concluded vaping is good, it makes sense to have a road map on how to tell people about it. This will save many households thousands of pounds a year, the NHS millions and prevent countless preventable deaths from cancer.”
Mr Oates goes on to highlight that smoking rates are much higher in people on the lowest incomes. Quoting an ASH UK study which found 1.4 million households live in poverty in England alone, he pointed out that 418,127 of these could be elevated above the poverty line if the cost of smoking was returned to them.
“In summary, and more than ever, our health services are in desperate need of a financial break and the poorest households need to find ways to save money. Well both needs can be met, if the government does what its own smoking report says it should. By implementing Dr Khan’s review recommendations and honouring our commitment to making England smoke free by 2030, the human and financial cost plummets from day one.”
“Khan recommended as a ‘must do’, the education of doctors, NHS staff and other health professionals in the benefits of vaping. He also said vaping should be offered as a substitute for smoking and wants a saturation media campaign and investment in local stop smoking services. But when?
“A government campaign to promote vaping immediately is a no brainer and could be green lit today. But it takes a leader to do it. As Sunak is forced to buy billions of cubic metres of gas off Biden to try and counter the energy crisis and save Brits money, he should not ignore the easy wins at home.”
Who are We Vape?
We Vape is a collective that aims to bring together vapers from across the UK to raise the voice of the community and shape the public debate about vaping issues with credible, factual information from real-world vapers, minus the often present media bias.
Mark Oates is the director of the consumer advocacy group, and has made some interesting comments regarding Vaping’s role in not just healthcare but also in finance. After all, the vaping industry is a healthy multi-billion-pound entity with the potential to seriously shape our futures depending how our government decide to interact and integrate it into Stop Smoking Services (SSS).
The Cost of Smoking
The figures that surround smoking are pretty eye opening. Pre-pandemic it costs £192bn a year to run the NHS. The Government’s own figures show smoking alone costs the NHS £2.5billion a year. In total it costs the economy £14.7billion.
Health wise smoking remains the biggest cause of preventable death in the UK. In England alone, 78,000 people a year or 200 per day, die from smoking.
But away from public health, the cost of smoking on households is also a pressing matter. According to Cancer Research UK, smokers spend on average £475 on cigarettes every three months, or £1900 a year. This compares to £180 every three months or £720 a year for vapers - over 2.5 times less than those who smoke.
What do you think?
Mr Oates has certainly shared some passionate thoughts about the role vaping could play in resolving some of the issues we face as a society, but where do you stand?
While there are certainly arguments for vaping’s immediate harm reduction, but with long term studies still lacking, is the unknown long-term risk worth the short-term financial stability?
We at LiQuid definitely think Vaping has a big role to play in smoking cessation - the NHS themselves tout its power in achieving successful quit attempts alongside existing support, but think we must still exercise caution to ensure people’s safety long-term. The best part of debates like this is the facts about vaping become more and more public, helping to create a more accurate picture of the positives and negatives so people can make an informed choice about their own lifestyles.
Time will now tell if Vaping will get the final push into SSS as Dr Khan Recommended earlier in 2022.
