Public Health England’s Report on e-cigarettes (also known as vapourisers) estimated that vaping is around 95% safer than smoking. However this is not a well known fact amongst the public and there continue to be inaccurate perceptions that e-cigarettes are just as harmful as smoking. There is no substantial evidence that e-cigarettes cause significant harm to health, so therefore they can be a useful tool when stopping smoking for those who have tried other methods without success.
An estimated 2.8 million adults in Great Britain currently use electronic cigarettes (vape), up from only 700,000 in 2012 as shown by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in its recent survey of e-cigarette users. This demonstrates the growing popularity of vaping.
One concern that has been voiced about e-cigarettes is that they may act as a gateway for young people into smoking tobacco. However the evidence so far has shown that e-cigarettes are attracting very few people who have never smoked into regular e-cigarette use; the recent ASH survey showed that only 0.2% of non-smokers are vaping.
In Devon, we are committed to providing an e-cigarette friendly stop smoking service. This means that if you are looking to quit but do not want to use the nicotine replacement therapy that advisers can prescribe, the stop smoking service can still provide you with the behavioural support to complement your own use of e-cigarettes.
Smokers are four times more likely to quit successfully by using a combination of behavioural support and medication.
To find out more information about e-cigarettes, have a look at the following resources:
E-cigarettes: an evidence update. A report commissioned by Public Health England. (August 2015)
ASH Factsheet: Use of electronic cigarettes (vapourisers) amoung adults in Great Britain. (May 2016)
ASH Briefing: Electronic Cigarettes (also known as vapourisers). (February 2016)