UK authorities want to reduce smoking in the country from 15% to 5% by 2030. And e-cigarettes play a key role, according to the latest government report.
Quitting smoking is an arduous journey. Most smokers want to quit, but statistics show that most people try to quit without help, ends with relapse. At the same time, research shows that the chances of success increase if smokers use some form of aid.
"Skeptical about e-cigs at first"
In the United Kingdom, the authorities are therefore fully committed to supporting multiple methods of smoking cessation, including the use of e-cigarettes. Following a government decision, the Public Health of England has set a target to reduce smoking in England from 15% to below 5%. In just ten years. And electronic cigarettes have become an important part of the strategy, says Professor John Newton, Head of Health Promotion at the UK Department of Health.
"When e-cigarettes appeared on the market 10 years ago, we became very interested in how the technology could be used in tobacco control work. At first, we were skeptical, of course. But we started collecting data and it soon became clear that e-cigarettes had already established themselves among smokers as a method to quit smoking. And with success," he tells the CNBC television channel.
Investing in research on e-cigarettes
Since 2015, Public Health of England has compiled several reports and analyzed the research available on e-cigarettes, both at global and local level. The report "Vaping in England - an evidence update" has become the benchmark for policy decisions and health promotion policies in the country. The document is a living report that is updated annually as new data are published. Currently, the report summarizes over 2000 studies, with nearly 500 added each year.
"Life-changing for smokers"
The message from the UK Department of Health is that e-cigarettes are 95% safer to use, compared to analog cigarettes. And that smokers can improve their health if they manage to switch from smoking to vejpning.
"We wanted to make it clear that using e-cigarettes is significantly less harmful than smoking. Tobacco smoke contains tar, carbon monoxide and thousands of other toxic substances that cause cancer, cardiovascular disease and nerve damage; it is among the absolute worst things you can do to your body. Only a fraction of these substances are present in the vapor of an e-cigarette. They are not completely risk-free, but for a smoker, switching can be life-changing. " says John Newton.
Unknown risks against known risks
However, the approach is controversial and the report has attracted a lot of attention even abroad. E-cigarettes are a relatively new technology that has only been on the market for just over 10 years. The health effects of long-term use are not fully known. But that is not the key issue, according to John Newton.
"Cigarettes kill almost every second smoker. We know that. Of course, we should also monitor the risks of e-cigarettes. But at the same time, we need to put these potential risks in perspective. It would be extremely unfortunate if a smoker decides not to try an e-cigarette just because they are worried about the risks. That's why we need to be clear in how we formulate our message" says John Newton.
Hospitals allow e-cigarettes
In 2020, the authorities, together with other government-supported non-profit organizations, have launched several campaigns on e-cigarettes and the findings of research. In the summer of 2019, vejpshoppes also opened in two of the country's hospitals. At the same time, smoking was completely banned on hospital premises. The aim was clear: to encourage smokers to switch to e-cigarettes. In other parts of the country, authorities handed out free e-cigarettes to smokers, including by targeting workplaces with a high proportion of smokers.
As effective as medicines
Today (2021), nearly 2.5 million people use e-cigarettes regularly in the UK. The spread of e-cigarettes among smokers is a good sign, according to the UK Public Health Agency. Vaping products increase the chances of quitting smoking by almost 20%, twice as much as nicotine patches (9%) and at the same level as the drug varenicline. The difference between varenicline and e-cigarettes is their popularity among smokers. And this is something that makes e-cigarettes an effective weapon in the fight against smoking, according to the authority.
"The number of successful quit attempts is the same for varenicline as with e-cigarettes. But only five percent of smokers choose varenicline while 13 percent used e-cigarettes. This means that vejpning is helping significantly more smokers to quit smoking each year" writes the UK Public Health Agency in its latest update on "Vaping in England: an evidence update"
