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World first: UK government to give away 1 million vapes to encourage smokers to switch
H cink2023-04-12Views 523Source 未知
Highlights: On April 11, reports said the UK is once again making major moves in vaping. Beyond its official tobacco harm reduction support, the government plans to provide 1 million free vaping devices to encourage smokers to switch from cigarettes.
On April 11, news broke that the UK government is making waves in the vaping sector. The UK's love for vaping can be described as a continuous flow, not only has the government released research showing a 95% reduction in tobacco harm from vaping, but they have also opened vape shops in hospitals.Although the recent issue of illegal disposable vapes being used by teenagers has caused some concern, the government still supports vaping and defends the rights of adult smokers to switch to vaping. They are even considering licensing vaping as a medical product to aid in smoking cessation, which certainly makes vapers around the world envious.Latest UK statistics:In 2021, the smoking rate in the UK was between 12.7% and 14.9%, equivalent to 5.6 million to 6.6 million adult smokers; the vaping prevalence was between 6.9% and 7.1%, which corresponds to 3.1 million to 3.2 million adult vapers.What is the UK government planning to do next in the vaping sector? On Tuesday, the UK government announced that it would encourage up to 1 million smokers to switch from cigarettes to vaping, even offering financial incentives to pregnant women to achieve this world-first initiative.The Department of Health (DoH) stated that under this plan, nearly one-fifth of smokers will receive vaping starter kits along with support to quit smoking.Additionally, pregnant women will receive £400 vouchers to assist them in quitting smoking, which is part of the government's goal to reduce the smoking rate from the current 13% to 5% or less.Health Minister Neil O'Brien stated in a speech later on Tuesday: up to two-thirds of lifelong smokers will die from smoking. Cigarettes are the only product that can kill if used improperly.Despite substantial evidence regarding the health risks of vaping, the UK will provide free kits to nearly one-fifth of smokers."We will provide new quitting support for 1 million smokers. We will fund a new national smoking cessation program — a world first."The Department of Health stated that while the global average smoking rate is higher than that of the UK, tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the country.The UK government spent £68 million in 2021-22 on local authorities' efforts to help people quit smoking, prompting 100,000 smokers to quit and alleviating pressure on the UK's overwhelmed National Health Service.However, vaping has faced criticism, with health officials warning that the popularity of vaping among children exposes them to chemicals with long-term effects that are still unclear.Health service data shows that in 2021, 9% of teenagers aged 11 to 15 in the UK had used vaping, up from 6% three years prior.The UK government announced it will establish an enforcement team funded with £3 million to prevent the illegal sale of vapes to those under 18.The UK's National Health Service has long recommended vaping as a means to help smokers quit, but has never provided the equipment to start quitting.The cost of vaping devices typically ranges from £20 to £30, with the cost of replacing pods being even higher. Critics argue that vaping is not particularly effective in helping people quit smoking.The UK government is working towards a smokefree goal by 2030, which means reducing the smoking rate to 5% or lower.Professor Martin McKee from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine stated: Given the pressure on the National Health Service, people do want to know if this is a good use of resources, as significantly increasing tobacco taxes would be more effective."Vaping has only been shown to help people quit when it is part of a supervised, time-limited behavioral support package — even then, it is not particularly effective. ""We need to focus on plain packaging, banning attractive vape juice flavors, and stopping advertising for vape products."The starter kits will provide smokers with choices of products, strengths, and flavors while they receive quitting support. #p#分页标题#e#It is understood that users can apply through community health centers or smoking cessation services.There are over 3 million vapers in the UK, and experts agree that vaping is safer than smoking, as it contains nicotine in liquid form that is vaporized and inhaled, avoiding harmful tobacco smoke.Supporters of vaping point out that a UK study estimated that in 2017, vaping helped over 50,000 smokers quit.However, the World Health Organization has warned that many studies question the effectiveness of vaping for smoking cessation.Official estimates suggest that the national smoking cessation program will cost about £45 million over two years.Officials state that 9% of women smoke during pregnancy and hope that with financial incentives and behavioral support, everyone can quit smoking by the end of the year.Deborah Arnott, CEO of the Action on Smoking and Health organization, stated: Vaping increases the chances of smokers successfully quitting, and the vouchers for pregnant smokers are also a positive step, but it is still far from enough.Today's news related to vaping in the UK:1. The UK government released the most comprehensive research report: vaping is much less harmful than smoking, significantly reducing exposure to harmful substances, with long-term risks still needing research. 2. Breaking! The UK will become the first country in the world to license vaping as a medical product for smoking cessation. 3. The UK Department of Health officially announced 8 major truths about vaping: nicotine is not carcinogenic, and harm reduction is undeniable. 4. The UK has indeed opened vape shops in hospitals: openly promoting a 95% reduction in harm.
