New data from the U.K.-based health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) finds that vapes have been the most popular aid to quitting smoking among those who have successfully stopped in the last five years. The latest survey found that of the 5.6 million adults who currently vape, 53% have stopped smoking, 39% are still smoking, and 8% have never smoked.
According to its research, ASH found that among all those who stopped smoking in the last five years, just over half reported they used a vape to quit, equating to 2.7 million people. Of those, a third have also stopped vaping, and the average duration of their vaping was one year.
“Millions of people have used vapes to successfully stop smoking in recent years, increasing healthy life expectancy and improving the nation’s productivity. Tougher vape regulations are urgently needed, but it is important they are calibrated to address youth vaping while not deterring use of vapes as quitting aids. Smoking is still the country’s biggest preventable killer and vaping is one of many tools needed to help smokers quit if we are to create a smoke-free country for current as well as future generations. Government must also communicate more effectively that vaping is less harmful than smoking but not risk-free, and should only be used as an aid to quitting,” said Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of ASH.
In light of the research, ASH is calling for “a new Tobacco and Vapes Bill to be reintroduced urgently in order to address the levels of teenage vaping but are urging policymakers to ensure that regulations do not undermine the value of vapes as an aid for those smoking.”
“Long-term vaping among people who would otherwise not be smoking should be avoided on a precautionary basis. So, as we develop our regulatory approach this group must not be forgotten. We would much rather see people stopping using any form of nicotine long term,” Cheeseman added.
Last month, Australia introduced some of the world’s toughest anti-vaping laws, which now restrict the sale of vapor products to pharmacies only, CNN reported. Users need to present a doctor’s prescription to a pharmacist to buy vapes, and the choice will be limited to three flavors: mint, menthol, and tobacco.