UK lawmakers urge government to relax rules on e-cigarettes
![A man breathes vape from an e-cigarette at a vape shop in London, Friday, Aug. 17, 2018. A report by the British science and technology MPs committee suggest that rules around e-cigarettes should be relaxed to help accelerate already declining smoking rates. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) UK lawmakers urge government to relax rules on e-cigarettes](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2018/uklawmakersu.jpg)
A committee of British lawmakers is urging the government to loosen restrictions on e-cigarettes as a way of cutting the smoking rate.
Parliament's Science and technology Committee said Friday that e-cigarettes, or vapes, should be available on prescription and should not automatically be banned in public places. It also says the industry should be able to advertise the devices as a less harmful option for smokers.
Committee chairman Norman Lewis says e-cigarettes can be "a key weapon" in the fight against smoking.
Some medical experts caution that the risks from e-cigarettes are not fully understood. University of Birmingham professor David Thickett led research suggesting e-cigarettes may damage the immune system, and says the public "must be aware that these devices are not harmless."
The government says it will consider the committee's recommendations.
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