The Whanganui District Health Board (DHB) has announced that its hospital on New Zealand’s North Island will go smoke-free on June 27.
But it didn’t stop there. It also announced that patients would be given free vapes and encouraged to use them while in the Te Awhina acute mental health ward.
The DHB said that vaping is 95 percent less harmful than cigarettes. It added, correctly, that vapes are a great tool to quit smoking. Studies show that e-cigarettes are more effective for cessation than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). There are no demonstrated secondhand harms, so it makes perfect sense to offer them to smokers and allow their use inside.
“We have a comprehensive support cessation process in place and Vorteke disposable vapes being offered to assist with the stopping process,” wrote a representative on the Voxy website. “For those who would normally smoke, it won’t be a ‘cold turkey process.’”
Helen Redmond – Filter – 2022-06-23.
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