Hansard

This has been a good debate. It is sometimes difficult to debate a bill that covers such a range of different issues. To sum it up, we all want and look forward to a tobacco-free society, as Willie Coffey said, and the bill will go some way towards that. We also look forward to a society in which there is better patient-centred care, and the bill will help with that.

The minister mentioned the single register for NVPs and tobacco products. That was one of the issues that got the committee thinking. There were certainly concerns from pharmacists about having to register as tobacco retailers if they were to use NVPs as part of their smoking cessation programmes. It was very clear that there should be no barriers to NVPs being used to help people to stop smoking. At the same time, we had to make sure that the protections were in place.

Malcolm Chisholm lodged amendments to resolve those issues. He received the reassurance from the minister that they would be dealt with quite separately, which gives comfort to organisations that would be selling NVPs for therapeutic reasons.

We have to be careful about the use of NVPs because, although they have undoubted health benefits as an alternative to smoking, they might cause health problems themselves. We heard about something called popcorn lung, which we did not go into. Some of the chemicals that are used in NVPs can cause other conditions that might create health problems of their own. It was therefore right and proper to put in age restrictions in relation to whom they could be sold and restrictions on vending machines.

A lot of members have spoken about the use of NVPs as an alternative to smoking, and Jim Hume commented that they should not be used as an access point to nicotine dependence. Some of the evidence that we received in committee suggested that some of the other chemicals that are used in cigarettes make them more addictive, and that nicotine in NVPs might therefore be less addictive than nicotine in cigarettes. We are talking about a developing industry, and those things can change. We would certainly never want those sorts of chemicals used in NVPs, especially if there are health problems, as that could make people more addicted to them.

Nanette Milne spoke about psychiatric patients smoking on hospital grounds. Real concerns were raised around that. If someone is not well, chemicals will have an impact, but we need to ensure that people in psychiatric hospitals are able to smoke if they really need to.

Mary Scanlon and I visited Newcraigs hospital and were delighted to hear that secure outside space was going to be provided to allow people to go outside. That is important for all psychiatric hospitals, as people might be less able to give up smoking when they are receiving treatment. We need to be sure and be clear about giving people those choices, especially when they are suffering from conditions that mean that it would be cruel and unfair to make them change their behaviour. They need our compassion in such a situation.