Clearing the air on a smoke-free future

By Dr Louise Slaney , medical director at Aberdeen-based International Medical Management (IMM).

The smoking landscape in this country has undoubtedly changed.

The days of walking down the street being hit by second-hand smoke and seeing cigarette butts littering our pavements has thankfully all but gone.?

However, this has been replaced by puffs of often fruity-scented vapour emanating from e-cigarettes carried by people of all ages.

The medical message that smoking is seriously harmful to your health is not a new one.

Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you could make. The harmful chemicals in cigarettes and other smoking products claim thousands of lives annually in the UK.

Health charity, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Scotland campaign for a healthier, tobacco-free Scotland. Its No Smoking Day initiative urges Scottish smokers to ‘Quit and Win’ in various aspects of life.

We at IMM are happy to get behind this message and urge people to kick the habit whether that be smoking ‘traditional’ cigarettes or vapes.

The shift from smoking to vaping has been substantial, with e-cigarette users skyrocketing from 700,000 in 2012 to 4.7 million by 2024, according to ASH.

Additionally, concerning trends reveal that the proportion of children experimenting with vaping has tripled in the last three years, with one in five children trying it.

More than half of e-cigarette smokers say they vaped ‘just to give it a try’, while others cite ‘other people do it so I join in’ or ‘I like the flavours’ as common reasons.

While vaping can play a role in helping smokers to quit, it’s not without risks. It can make asthma and other existing lung diseases worse. Despite being perceived as less harmful than regular cigarettes, it doesn’t mean they are safe.

E-cigarettes produce a dangerous number of chemicals which can contribute to irreversible lung damage, lung disease and cardiovascular disease. Vapers face a 56% higher likelihood of a heart attack and a 30% higher likelihood of a stroke compared to non-smokers.

It goes without saying, if you don’t smoke, don’t vape. And if you’re an ex-smoker turning to vapes, then carefully consider the potential risks and consult with a healthcare professional to make informed choices about your journey towards a healthier lifestyle.?

Smoking remains the top preventable cause of illness and death, cutting life expectancy by 10 years. It causes 80,000 annual UK deaths, including one in four cancer deaths and more than 70% of lung cancer cases.

At the same time, the burden on the NHS is immense, with someone admitted to hospital every minute due to smoking-related diseases and resulting in over 100 GP appointments every hour.

However, over a million people in the UK quit during the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 60% of former smokers now celebrating a smoke-free life.

The health benefits are significant for those who have braved the change. Health improvements start within hours of quitting including normalised heart rate and blood pressure, enhanced lung function and reduced respiratory issues. After one year, your risk of coronary heart disease is halved and after five years, your risk of many types of cancer is reduced.

While the benefits can be substantial for you, it can also benefit the people around you. Second-hand smoke can increase the risk of lung cancer for people who don’t smoke by 30%.

We fully support the UK Government’s legislation that aims to create the first smoke-free generation. This means that children turning 14 this year or younger will never legally purchase tobacco. With the age of sale set to increase each year after, the goal is to prevent future generations from ever taking up smoking, acknowledging that there is no safe age to smoke.

As we embrace this smoke-free era, we will closely be monitoring the developments in the vaping landscape. The evolution of vaping practices, regulations and research will undoubtedly shape the future of nicotine consumption.