Vapes are addictive and should only be sold on prescription | Letter

Prof Anthony Milton says people who vape should be regarded as drug addicts and doctors should do all they can to wean their patients off them

I was interested to read your report on the British Medical Association recommending that vapes should only be available over the counter (Vapes should be sold behind the counter like cigarettes, says BMA, 28 August). It should go further and recommend, as has happened in Australia, that vapes should only be available on prescription. It must not be forgotten that the reason vapes were introduced was to wean tobacco smokers from their habit. It was recognised that the products of tobacco combustion were the main cause of lung cancer.

However, this did nothing for their addiction to nicotine, which was the main reason why they smoked. Nicotine is probably the most addictive chemical known to mankind, far more so even than heroin. It affects the nervous system, and produces addiction. It also affects the cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of a heart attack, and the release of hormones.

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