Are e-cigarettes a wise alternative to cigarettes? Vejpkollen put the question to all parties in Parliament.
"If you can quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes, that's good" says Lena Emilsson (S&D)
- NOTE: Since Vejpkollen published the article, the Swedish government has announced that they want to ban flavorings in the e-liquid. —
Advertisement:
"Overall, just under two percent of the population in Sweden have used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days, of which one third have done so daily. This was most common among men, and in the 17-29 age group. It was also significantly more common to have used e-cigarettes among those who smoke regular cigarettes."
Then write Central Association for Alcohol and Drug Information, CAN, in its report on how Swedes use e-cigarettes. 200,000 Swedes say they use e-cigs. One third, or around 70,000 Swedes, use e-cigarettes daily. Daily use suggests that e-cigarettes are replacing tobacco use - at least partially.
In light of this, Vejpkollen wanted to know what Swedish politicians think about e-cigarettes and how they view vejping as a method to quit smoking.
S: "Important to reduce the number of smokers"
Lena Emilsson, spokesperson for the Social Democrats on tobacco issues, has a restrictive view on vejping and e-cigarettes. At the same time, she sees some positive aspects.
"It is important to reduce the number of smokers because tobacco smoking causes so much damage. If you can quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes, that's good. But it's better not to use e-cigarettes either, from a health point of view. " she tells Vejpkollen.
"Important to break the habit"
Lena Emilsson says that traditional smoking cessation methods have advantages over e-cigarettes. In her view, it is the habit that needs to be broken, as much as the nicotine addiction.
"The best thing is to quit smoking without switching to any other tool that reminds you of smoking. If you can't do that, e-cigarettes have a role to play. But quitting smoking is about breaking all smoking habits as well. the disadvantage as I see it that e-cigarettes are so reminiscent of smoking. That's why I believe more in patches or gum," she tells Vejpkollen.
"More research"
She is joined by Karin Rågsjö, Member of the Social Affairs Committee for the Left Party.
"We should first of all look at whether it works to stop smoking. I'm worried that it will become a security blanket instead. And we need more research. We don't want to propose something that turns out to be dangerous," she told Vejpkollen.
The same experience as a cigarette
According to the research institute Cochrane it is precisely the similarity of experience that has shown e-cigarettes to work better than traditional nicotine medicines for smokers. In a report from 2020 a systematic review of various smoking cessation studies shows that e-cigarettes are twice as effective compared to patches and gum.
"Unlike gum and patches, e-cigarettes give smokers an experience similar to that of a cigarette. They get nicotine, and the feeling of smoking, without exposing themselves or their surroundings to cigarette smoke" writes the researchers in the report.
KD: Risk that smokers use both
Michael Anefur, spokesperson for the Christian Democrats on tobacco and alcohol issues, has a cautiously positive view of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation method. But he also sees risks with the method.
"If it is the case that e-cigs replace regular tobacco smoking, that is good, provided that e-cigs are less dangerous. However, there is the same risk as with replacing smoking with snus, that is, for a number of people it ends up with both smoking and snus," he told Vejpkollen.
Research: Dual use can be positive
Dual use has sparked debate among researchers in recent years. The question is whether smokers who also use e-cigarettes are ingesting more harmful substances than in the past. A study from the US suggested that the risk of stroke increased due to dual use. However, this was found not to be the case and the study was withdrawn due to an uncertain analysis resulting from insufficient data. Meanwhile, more recent research shows that a dual use can bring benefits for public health in general. Smokers who use e-cigarettes alongside cigarettes are more likely to quit smoking, over time.
Different views on e-cigarettes
UK authorities actively advise smokers to switch to e-cigarettes. Public Health Agency of Sweden however, it does not. And it is something that governs Center Party view on the issue.
"There are several proven, safe and effective methods for smoking cessation recommended by the Public Health Agency of Sweden. However, e-cigarettes are not recommended for smoking cessation in Sweden. These recommendations are a matter for the expert authorities, not for politicians" says the Center Party spokesperson Amanda Florin to Vejpkollen.
SD: Focus on nicotine cessation
The Sweden Democrats Christina Östberg, member of the Social Affairs Committee for the Swedish Social Democratic Party, believes that the focus should be on nicotine addiction.
"There is a lot to be gained if people quit smoking, both health-wise and economically. But we would rather see measures that fully focus on support for cessation or measures that lead to the complete elimination of nicotine dependence," she told Vejpkollen.
Vejpkollen has never received an answer from the Green Party and the Liberals on how they see e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation. However, these parties have answered similar questions in parliament. Read more about this here!
The Moderates responds in a individual article here.
