Pregnant women have been given access to free vapes in an attempt to try and curb the risk of smoking conventional cigarettes while pregnant.
Sounds pretty crazy, right? Well, that’s because it does in the long run – however, there’s some wisdom in this. It is an interesting situation, and one which we’re quite keen to explore.
So, without further ado, let’s cap off one of the last days of Stoptober with a bit of positivity.
London – Vape Capital of the UK?
The big story recently is that pregnant women who live in an area of South London will be handed free vapes by the local authority in an attempt to get them both stop spending money on tobacco products but also to try and curb the risk of damage to the pregnancy from smoking tobacco.
The authority in question, Lambeth Council, says that the service is expected to help save parents roughly £2000 for the year.
A local spokesperson from the council had the following to say on the subject:
“Smoking during pregnancy is the leading risk factor for poor birth outcomes, including stillbirth, miscarriage and pre-term birth. Data shows that women from low income households are much more likely to smoke in pregnancy. We are now planning to support the use of e-cigarettes for women who choose that route as their preferred aid for quitting tobacco, since this is less harmful compared to smoking.”
Our Opinion
Naturally, this is a development which we are pleased to see. Many are expressing some understandable concerns about the prospect of introducing any type of smoking tool into a pregnancy, but we’d like to talk about that for a second.
Many people smoke cigarettes due to the nicotine addiction that develops as a byproduct – it has little to do with enjoyment. During pregnancy, cravings for a wide range of things become common. To try and deal with the undeniable struggle of pregnancy while battling a nicotine addiction – something rarely satiated by gum or patches – would be incredibly tough.
There’s nothing in e-cigarettes which are inherently harmful as such. Everything in e-liquids, despite what people want to think, are made up of chemicals we already consume or are exposed to in food and health products. We think it’s a great tool for keeping women away from tobacco products – and hopefully putting them on the path to quitting for good.
Final Thoughts
So, this latest scheme which is all about delivering vapes to pregnant women in the south London area is definitely something we think could be really good.
It’s nice to see more local authorities taking the chance with vapes, because ultimately they are a good solution for people who need to smoke something, and the more publicity it gets, the more the industry and the community can grow.
If you need any vaping supplies, then Infinite Vapour can help. We have a range of different devices, kits, mods, accessories, e-liquids and everything else you might need for a satisfying vaping experience.