Outlawed: e-cigarettes "pose a challenge to smoke-free campus enforcement"
Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 17:28 E-cigarettes are to be banned in and around all health facilities in Ireland, including hospital grounds.
Here are two reports of the same story: E-cigarettes to be banned in Republic of Ireland health facilities (BBC News) and HSE bans use and sale of e-cigarettes in all health facilities (Irish Times).
The decision was announced by the Health Services Executive. According to the HSE's Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe, "e-cigarettes pose a challenge to smoke-free campus enforcement and come with safety concerns for a healthcare environment".
He added:
“Smoking is the single leading cause of illness in our nation, responsible for a range of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancers, and for over 5,200 deaths every year.”
“The Health Services are responsible for health promotion and caring for illnesses and disease. Ensuring that health service buildings and grounds are smoke-free is an integral part of our approach to reducing tobacco use and harm in Ireland.”
Forest Eireann responded as follows:
Smokers' group blasts ban on e-cigarettes in hospital grounds
The smokers' group Forest Eireann has criticised the HSE's decision to ban e-cigarettes from hospitals and other health centres.
According to the HSE, e-cigarettes challenge the Smoke-Free Campus policy.
John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Eireann, said: "It may have escaped the HSE's notice, but vaping is quite different to smoking.
"There is no evidence e-cigarettes are harmful to the user or anyone else, nor is there evidence they are a gateway to tobacco.
"Nicotine may be addictive but it's no more harmful than caffeine. E-cigarettes offer a nicotine delivery system that mimics the act of smoking, which is why they're popular with many smokers, but that's all.
"They offer a useful alternative to smoking and have helped many smokers quit.
"Banning e-cigarettes demonstrates a disturbing ignorance of human behaviour and is incompatible with the government's goal of a smoke free Ireland."
Our reaction was picked up by a host of Irish radio stations. Here's a list of stations John has appeared on today:
Newstalk, Today FM, Ocean FM, 4FM, FM104, Northern Sound, Kildare FM, Q102, Shannonside, Galway Bay FM, Limerick 95FM, South East Radio and Tipp FM.
One interview began with the presenter suggesting – goodness knows why – that John must be opposed to e-cigs and would therefore support the ban.
John's response was to correct him and draw this analogy:
"I asked him if he liked the odd glass of wine, which he did. I then asked if he'd tried non-alcoholic wine, and he said it was disgusting.
"I then explained that a REAL cigarette offered far more satisfaction to a smoker than an e-cig but for smokers who want to quit they are the best method."
I should add that John is a smoker and a vaper so these are not some off the cuff comments.
Anyway there's no real point to this post other than to flag up yet another instance of prohibition that can't be justified with any evidence, and to highlight Forest's ongoing fight in support of consumer choice.
See also: Evidence missing in action as Ireland bans e-cigarettes in health facilities (City AM).
Update: Forest Eireann quoted by the Irish Examiner, Irish Independent, Irish Times, Irish Daily Mail, Irish Mirror and Irish Sun (which described John Mallon as an "expert"!).
Reader Comments (7)
As a smoker, I would defend the rights of e-cig users. (But it would be nice if vapers would defend smokers).
In this case, it is up to vapers to defend themselves. This is because vaping is not smoking. We smokers are lepers, and anything that we say is disgusting, filthy, stinking. It is better, therefore, if we stay out of this argument.
It is really up to the health service unions in Ireland to defend their members on this one, and it is up to union members to demand that their unions defend them. However, it may be that unions have compromised themselves by demanding smoking bans and that they are thereby corrupted beyond redemption. The corruption of which I speak is not financial - it is intellectual. When the unions accepted SHS danger, they failed intellectually.
I greatly admire John Mallon, so I hope that he does not take the following as any sort of criticism of himself.
The term "ENDS" (Electronic Nicotine Delivery System) is a term invented by the Tobacco Control Industry, and not one invented by vapers. It is intended to be a disparaging term. Vaper do not vape for pleasure, they vape as nicotine addicts. May I refer you to this post from Carl Phillips:
http://antithrlies.com/2014/04/07/why-using-the-term-ends-is-unethical/
There is no 'science' which reveals that SHS is dangerous. As compared with actual smoking (as stated by Zealots), SHS danger is minute. But SHS is still smoke. Vapour from e-cigs is not smoke. Therefore, as far as we know, the danger is a minute quantity of the minute quantity of SHS danger.
What is wonderful is that the Tobacco Control Industry is showing its totalitarian instincts for everyone to see. One size fits all.
I am an ex-smoker. I smoked for over 30 years .. and I enjoyed it.
Now I vape, and I enjoy that just as much.
Contrary to the comment above, I am NOT an anti-smoking zealot. I am a Libertarian. I believe we should all have the right to choose how we live our lives. That includes smoking, vaping and drinking.
It is my firm belief that Government are constantly overstepping the mark in their invasions on our liberties. It should be down to individual establishments as to what behaviours they allow on their premises. It is not the role of Government or Public Health to inflict their values on everybody else. That is NOT what a democracy is supposed to be.
For the record, I OPPOSED the smoking ban - I still do. Unfortunately, it has happened and we can not turn back time. T
However, vaping is a legal activity that is not (currently) banned from public spaces and I will fight every inch of the way to protect my right to vape.
We MUST mark a line in the sand. These Health 'Puritans' will not be happy until everyone else is as miserable and po-faced as they are. They just hate to think that someone, somewhere might actually be enjoying themselves !!
"It has happened and we cannot turn back time..." No - but we can argue for a more tolerant future and places where only smokers, tolerant non smokers and vapers can meet in their own pubs and clubs.
Readily accept our forced social exclusion so easily and you line up another skittle to be knocked down.
If there is no blanket indoor ban then they cannot move on to what's next - and clearly now that's abuse, humiliation and bullying of anyone who looks like a smoker even if they have a harmless plastic stick in hand no more dangerous than the vapour that comes out from a boiling kettle.
THIS smoker will NEVER accept the full ban with no choice until I am welcome back as part of my community. I have hurt no one. I was welcome before public house and restaurant hosts were threatened with financial ruin and jail if they continued to make me welcome and I will never accept that what was done to legitimate law abiding adult tobacco consumers was right then or now.
It isn't over. It's not past and done with. It remains a live issue and we will not give up. You want to fight for ecigs then fight for smokers first intsead of giving up because you've moved on.
Odds on any nicotine inhaler devices made by big phama will still be allowed.
BTW, for what it's worth. I think John's voice is perfect for both smoker and vaper. No abuse, no better than thou tone, no anger, just pure common sense and respect for both cultures as it should be.
Vapers and smokers are one. Our joint enemy is the tobacco control thugs and bullies.
Smoking bans are bad enough, but at least it makes some sense for those who don't like the smell and effect of smoke in the atmosphere to use spurious "health" grounds to get their way.
Banning e-cigarettes, however, is beyond vindictive. I recently enquired of several cruise companies what their policy was on e-cigarettes and was told by most that not only are they banned in public areas of the ship, but they are also banned on your own balcony and even in your own cabin, punishable with a fine.
Presumably maids get paid extra to go through passengers' personal possessions looking to see if they have smuggled an e-cigarette on board, since I can't see how else anyone could know?
E-cigarettes are also banned on our local (outdoor) train platforms. I don't know if this is country-wide.
I find it utterly incredible that organisations and companies are able to ban legal products for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Can anyone explain?
I think this is just one of those times when the authorities are exaggerating. I can make an effort and udnerstand banning e-cigs in restaurants or other dining spaces, but this is just too much!