The UK Government is urging smokers to make the switch to safer and healthier e-cigarettes as it says vaping saves lives and the science proves it!
The latest Public Health England independent study into all things vape, concludes e-cigarettes are the very best and safest way to quit smoking, and shows that around 75% of smokers making the switch, succeeded thanks to vaping!
The UK Government is now on a drive to convince even more smokers to switch to vaping, and wants to see an end to the endless fake news scare stories centered around all things vape that could be costing smokers lives.
The PHE study takes a incredibly detailed look at all things vape, and when the numbers are crunched, they do not lie – vaping saves lives, it’s that simple.
In a quite remarkable statement, the UK Government report also points out that if a smoker wants to quit, nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches gums and sprays, are nowhere near as effective as an e-cigarette adding:
PHE’s advice remains that smokers should switch to vaping products to help them quit smoking, but non-smokers should not take up vaping.
Wow! Suck on that Big Pharma! No wonder they want it banned…
Now that’s what you call a science and government backed vote of confidence for vaping as a harm reduction tool…as I said quite remarkable!
And it’s something the world of vaping has known for a long time – I wrote about it back in October last year: Vape To Quit Smoking – It’s Better Than Patches and Gums Say Experts.
OK, as you can see I’m a little excited by this bombshell of a pro-vaping study, so let’s break it down into manageable pieces, including responses from vape advocacy groups and the real scientific experts.
Vaping Saves Lives – UK Government Key Findings
Public Health England lists the key findings as:
- Nicotine vaping products were the most popular aid (27.2%) used by smokers trying to quit in England in 2020
- It is estimated that in 2017, more than 50,000 smokers stopped smoking with the aid of a vaping product who would otherwise have carried on smoking
- 38% of smokers in 2020 believed that vaping is as harmful as smoking – 15% believed that vaping is more harmful
- Using a vaping product as part of a quit attempt in local stop smoking services had some of the highest quit success rates – between 59.7% and 74% in 2019 and 2020
Last years PHE study showed the number of smokers making the switch to vaping had stalled here in the UK, and it’s the same story this year. Despite the amazing results e-cigarettes have in stop smoking plans, many smokers are still reluctant to try vaping, let alone switch.
The reason is mainly down to the tsunami of sensationalist fake news stories centred around vaping, all in turn suggesting it’s as ‘dangerous‘ or even more dangerous than smoking. As I’ve said many times the media and indeed anti-vape groups like the World Health Organization and the Bloomberg backed brigade, do have blood on their collective hands.
COVID-19 may also have had an impact of smoking and vaping behaviours, however PHE says it’s too early to crunch the data, given most of it came pre-pandemic.
As an aside, I’ve touched on this in the article: Vapers Switching To Tobacco As Lockdowns Continue – those figures are slowing, but no thanks to the media that continues to link vaping to COVID-19 – wrongly – as you can see here: Fake Covid-19 Vape News Rebutted Yet Again
Vaping Saves Lives – E-cigarettes Better Than Nicotine Replacement Therapy
The UK Government categorically says vaping is the best way to quit smoking and beats patches – gums and sprays hands down adding:
In England in 2020, nicotine vaping products were the most popular aid used by smokers trying to quit, with 27.2% of smokers using a vaping product compared with 18.2% using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products (such as patches and gum) and 4.4% using the prescription medicine varenicline.
Evidence over the years suggests that as the use of vaping products in quit attempts increases, the number of successful quits in England also increases.
It is estimated that in 2017, more than 50,000 smokers stopped smoking with the aid of a vaping product who would otherwise have carried on smoking.
Data from systematic reviews since PHE’s 2018 report show that vaping products were significantly more effective for helping people stop smoking than NRT.
Did you see that…
“Significantly more effective for helping people stop smoking than NRT.”
I’ll just leave that there adding another wow!
Vaping Saves Lives – NO UK Teen Vape Epidemic
The key issue that gets all those anti-vaping soccermom groups and even the US Government, all hot and bothered, is the falsely perceived teen vaping epidemic.
It’s been proven as a factoid – OK down right lie – very many times, read more on that revelation: Teen Vaping and Smoking – The Cold Hard Facts Revealed .
However, and given the constant battle cry seems to be ‘we gotta protect the children‘ – what’s the situation here in the UK?
Are our schools, streets and back bedrooms filled with kids vaping?
The simple answer is NO…and that’s a resounding NO!
The smoking and vaping rates for 11-19 year olds here in the UK has pretty much remained the same.
The PHE study says:
84.4% of 16 to 19 year olds who had never smoked had also never vaped, and a very low proportion of never smokers reported currently vaping (1.3%).
In both surveys, a high proportion of people who had tried (or experimented with) vaping had also tried smoking.
Whilst any number of those under 18 smoking or vaping is disconcerting, it’s refreshing to see the incredibly low numbers of teen vapers. And the vast majority of teens that are vaping have stopped smoking…every cloud and all that…pun intended.
PHE says:
Vaping and smoking prevalence among young people in England both appear to have stayed the same in recent years and should continue to be closely monitored.
Around 4.8% of young people (aged 11 to 18 years) reported vaping at least once a month – the same as last year – and most of these were either current or former smokers (only 0.8% of young people who had never smoked currently vape).
Smoking prevalence among young people, including those who smoked sometimes or more than once a week, was 6.7% in March 2020, similar to March 2019, at 6.3%.
The law bans the sale of smoking and vaping products to under 18s but age-of-sale violations are being reported.
Shopkeepers selling fags or vape gear to minors need to stop now – there really is NO excuse!!!
None of us want to see kids vaping or smoking, but the figures do NOT lie…there is NO teen vaping epidemic here in the UK.
Pods Popular With the Silver Vapers!
The PHE study also looked at the most popular vape products used by age and socioeconomic groups – rich and poor to be blunt lol.
It found that pod kits were the most popular with the over 65’s who were switching or had quit smoking completely.
That makes perfect sense, as pod kits are the easiest and most convenient way to vape – and tend to be cheaper too.
BTW if you or someone you know is a smoker looking to quit and is shall we say like me getting on in years, we have a ton of pod kit reviews and you’re bound to find the right one for your needs – don’t be afraid to ask a question in the comments or via the contact page either