More Jamaicans turn to vaping to quit smoking
AN increasing number of Jamaicans are turning to vape retail outlets across the island to curtail their smoking habit.
One such outlet, The Mez Vape & Smoke Shop, which has been in operation since 2013, has seen an influx of customers wishing to quit smoking by using this method.
The entity has locations in Kingston and Montego Bay and is operated by owner Ravn Rae who provides a host of offerings to her customers, including vaporisers, pipes, and other smoking merchandise. Rae prides herself on only selling “authentic, certified, quality-assured and proven products to buyers over the age of 18 years”.
Over the past nine years, she says Mez has received countless testimonials from its local and international customers, who have used its vaping products to help them successfully quit tobacco smoking.
“I have even been visited by parents on numerous occasions seeking safer vape products to help their adult children quit smoking,” she attests. “The good thing about vape products is that they have been proven to be much safer alternatives to combustible cigarettes and the level of nicotine in vape products can be determined by the buyer.” She also revealed that some of the flavour profiles are also more effective than others as these are not the generic flavours that smokers typically associate with traditional tobacco cigarettes.
Further, World Vape Day (May 30) and World No Tobacco Day (May 31) are fast approaching. Both days are international days of recognition, geared toward raising awareness on the likely dangers of smoking and its safer alternatives. Numerous tools and methods have been used over the years to aid smoking cessation such as nicotine replacement therapy, counselling, prescribed medications, and alternative practices such as the use of herbal and mineral supplements.
A method that has evolved in recent times is the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) otherwise known as e-cigarettes or vaping products. There has been consistent evidence from various international reviews and cohort studies that support ENDS as effective smoking cessation tools and as such are oftentimes referred to as reduced-risk products (RRPs). Not only does ENDS and/or RRPs contain far less nicotine than traditional combustible cigarettes, but they also oftentimes contain no nicotine at all.
According to a study, ‘Vaping Works International Best Practices: United Kingdom, New Zealand, France and Canada’, “there is clear and comprehensive evidence indicating electronic cigarettes are 95 per cent safer than combustible tobacco products and are twice as effective as traditional nicotine replacement therapies.”
It has been found that it is the carbon monoxide, tar and other toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke that potentially cause serious damage to a smoker’s health. While the clean forms of nicotine in vaping products are credited in helping smokers quit because they are much safer and do not have other additives or toxic chemicals that may exist in combustible cigarettes.
The Vaping Works International Best Practices: United Kingdom, New Zealand, France and Canada study also highlighted “that in the United Kingdom, the Government’s liberal approach to vaping has led to a significant reduction in smoking rates. More precisely, between 2012 and 2016, the smoking rate fell from 20.4 per cent to 16.1 per cent. Countries that embrace vaping, such as France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada, have witnessed a decrease in smoking rates that is twice as fast as the global average,” the study asserts.
Moreover, Rae’s hope, going forward, is that the Jamaican public and the government will become educated as to the pros and cons of vaping so that informed decisions surrounding its use can be better made, which will lead, ultimately, to more mindful consumption.
And as both World Vape Day and No Tobacco Day approach, Rae hopes that members of the vaping community like herself are given a supportive platform to show the positives of using vaping devices as a safer alternative to smoking.