UK Report: Most Vaping Device Users Are Former Smokers

UK Report: Most Vaping Device Users Are Former Smokers
On October 26, according to Vaping Post, a report released by the anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) shows that the number of e-cigarette users in the UK has reached 3.6 million, about half of all smokers, indicating that most e-cigarette users are former smokers, and most switched to e-cigarettes to avoid smoking traditional cigarettes.

ASH has been monitoring smoking and vaping trends since 2012, and its latest report indicates that e-cigarettes helped an additional 70,000 people quit smoking in 2017. According to this data, the number of e-cigarette users in the UK has increased from 700,000 in 2012 to 3.6 million in 2019.

Among them, 54% of users have successfully quit smoking traditional cigarettes in favor of e-cigarettes; 40% of users still smoke traditional cigarettes while using e-cigarettes; and 6% of users are no longer using either type of tobacco.

Professor Ann McNeill, who wrote the e-cigarette review for Public Health England (PHE), pointed out that it is important for e-cigarette users to stop smoking traditional cigarettes once they start using e-cigarettes. "It is crucial that all e-cigarette users completely stop using traditional cigarettes; otherwise, they will still expose themselves to serious risks of diseases and disabilities caused by smoking." McNeill added, "E-cigarettes are not risk-free, but the risks are far lower than those of traditional cigarettes. Nearly 100,000 people die each year in the UK due to smoking."

Meanwhile, following the unfortunate death of the 33rd person due to mysterious lung diseases associated with unregulated vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol and nicotine in the US, PHE is reassuring e-cigarette users in the UK that their stance on e-cigarettes remains unchanged.

PHE: Smoking is not without risks, but it is safer than smoking

In line with McNeill's comments, PHE's tweet emphasized the importance of using devices solely for harm reduction. "Our advice on e-cigarettes remains unchanged—e-cigarettes are not completely risk-free, but they are far less harmful than smoking. In any case, neither e-cigarettes nor traditional cigarettes are beneficial to your health."

Supporting PHE's tweet, the New Nicotine Alliance (NNA) also pointed out that as long as regulated products are used, there is no need to worry about the vaping lung disease outbreak currently occurring in the US. "I believe that nicotine should not be blamed for these incidents, but rather the unregulated suppliers in the US illegally selling tetrahydrocannabinol liquids, which are well-regulated and controlled in the UK, so the advice from Public Health England and NNA remains unchanged."