How To Make The Most Of The Last Of The Disposable Vapes
People of a certain age might recall the TV comedy Last of the Summer Wine, which had nothing to do with vaping and everything to do with the shenanigans of a group of old people blundering around in a West Yorkshire village. For vapers, however, this month is about the last of the spring vapes - and just like those old folk, it’s time to enjoy it while you still can.
Of course, there is a bit of a difference between no longer being able to use a disposable vaping pen and shuffling off your mortal coil. Nor, it should be admitted, is vaping (or many things, for that matter) quite so daring as one of Compo’s death-defying stunts.
However, the last of the spring vapes is a chance to enjoy some bargains before the actual summer arrives, when it won’t be about wine but vape juice, or more precisely, the adjustment to using refillable devices instead.
A Great Clearance Opportunity
This means now we are in the last month before the ban on selling disposables comes into force, our disposable vape clearance is a great chance to pick up some wonderful bargains, with lots of your favourite flavours available at knock-down prices that, quite literally, are never to be repeated.
Indeed, if you feel like the end of the convenience of disposables is a bad thing, you may consider the ability to pick up some great bargains as ‘compo’ for the situation. You may not be able to buy them from June 1st, but you can still use the ones you have already purchased until you run out.
There are those in the vaping industry who consider the decision to ban single-use vapes as batty (mad, that is, not Nora), as it could deter those who want a convenient smoking cessation tool. But the fact is it is happening, so what really matters is what happens next.
Beware Mixed Messages As The Ban Approaches
Of course, the big question is whether the ban on disposables is the harbinger of something worse in the longer run - an outright ban. The NHS has taken the position that while not harm-free, vapes are a much better option than smoking and also can be a very effective smoking cessation tool, often helping someone to quit when other things don’t.
However, as the UK Vaping Industry Association has noted, an NHS survey of 17 trusts has shown that there is a worrying lack of consistency in its approach to smoking cessation practices and help for those trying to quit.
In particular, a quarter of trusts don’t have mandatory training in smoking cessation for staff, and two turned out to offer none at all. This situation of “fragmented” smoking cessation has led to “inconsistent messaging” on the value of vaping as a method of smoking cessation. The findings were revealed in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
Among the variations were some trusts offering annual updates in training on the issue, whereas others only did so every five years. However, this was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to inconsistency.
The variation in approach to the use of vaping included two trusts stating they don’t recommend them for smoking cessation, four having no clear policy, six stating they do recommend vapes in some form, three saying they do but it is not as part of a formal policy and one that allows on-site charging without having a formal policy.
Apart from these, there was the case of the Greater Glasgow NHS board, which said it was still awaiting national guidelines, but did note the right of patients to use vapes as a means of quitting smoking.
Why The NHS Confusion Must End
If all this sounds like a bit of a shambles, that’s because it is. UKVIA director general John Dunne said the fact some NHS trusts support vaping to help stop smoking is “encouraging”, but added: “The inconsistency uncovered by this FOI data highlights the need for a more consistent national strategy to effectively tackle the public health crisis caused by smoking.”
Criticising the mixed messaging, he asked: “How many quit attempts - and years of life - are being lost because of misperceptions about vaping?”
The reason this matters is that if there is a lack of clear support for vaping to help stop smoking, the positive message may be lost, while the ban on disposables may fool some into thinking it’s game over for vapes in general.
However, we know it is not. If you have started vaping to stop smoking, you can keep going with multi-use kits. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the last of the spring vapes before the disposables disappear.