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"!).