Welcome to the next edition of the Vape Shoppers blog!

As a vaper myself I am still baffled by the huge differences between the UK and United States in terms of legislative positions relating to the vaping industry.

In the UK the government has been very supportive and proactive in terms of promoting vaping as an alternative to traditional tobacco. It was recently announced that patients presenting to A&E departments in certain areas will be given a vaping starter kit for free and referred for further support in an effort to aid them in quitting smoking.

 The UK is also in a somewhat unique position in terms of Brexit, which casts some doubt over the future of our adherence to TPD. Is this something that the government may look to relax when considering the harm reduction factor?

 In stark contrast however, the US is not setting such a progressive example. Currently there are a number of legislative initiatives moving through congress which will further restrict the use of ecigarettes and vaping products, for example by removing flavoured e-liquids, placing restrictions on availability and tighter FDA regulations and licensing laws. Recently there was also an initiative intended to reduce the availability of vaping products by preventing the US Postal Service and couriers from carrying such products.

Of course it is not a simple comparison, with the US system operating on both a federal and state level and restrictions or outright bans varying hugely from state to state. 

 It is striking to me that two countries who are allegedly so closely aligned and enjoying a so called 'special relationship' have elected to take such polarised approaches to a consumer product. The key question for me here is whether this can be attributed to the power of the US lobbying market. Big tobacco is now embedded into the industry following heavy investment and as such it can't be held entirely responsible for the behind the scenes lobbying. It seems much of this is in fact the work of self identified 'anti-vaping' groups. Even media giant Bloomberg have weighed in with a series of anti vaping articles and launching a $160 million dollar scheme over the course of 3 years which they claim is to tackle 'an epidemic of e-cigarette use among kids.' 

Even charity organisations such as the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK are becoming more open to the concept of vaping as a harm reduction strategy for existing smokers. 

What are your thoughts on the approaches of the two countries differing so radically? Let us know in the comments.