Vaping

What about vaping, is there a role for vaping in smoking cessation?

Not smoking and not vaping is the best way to look after your lungs. But vaping can have a role for smokers. When a smoker stops smoking and starts to vape, they reduce their risk of harm caused by smoking, it would still be better to stop smoking and not vape.

  • NICE guidance advocates harm reduction for those who:
                    • May not be able (or want to) stop smoking in one step.
                    • May want to stop smoking, without giving up nicotine.
                    • May not be ready to stop, but want to reduce the amount of smoking.
  • Any non-smoker starting to vape is increasing the risk of harm, and may become addicted to nicotine, which may lead to smoking tobacco.

 

 

Vapers should only be buying from mainstream suppliers who are selling regulated products, to use black market products may carry potentially lethal risks. E-cigs are regulated by MHRA (Medication and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) in the United Kingdom and by (FDA) Food and Drug Administration federal agency in United States of America. In practice this means that the chemicals and strength of chemicals used in E-cigs are not comparable.

E-cigs are now the most popular aid to stop smoking.

Advice

Royal College of Physicians

“vaping isn’t completely risk-free but is far less harmful than smoking tobacco.”

www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/rcp-advice-vaping-following-reported-cases-deaths-and-lung-disease-us

Royal College of General Practice

“As primary care clinicians, how should we be positioning our advice on vaping. In a nut-shell, we should be presenting it as a substantially less harmful alternative to smoking. If the options are smoking or vaping, it will be emphatically vaping, though if ‘neither’ is a third option, then this is the only truly ‘safe’ option.”

www.rcgp.org.uk/clinical-and-research/about/clinical-news/2018/september/ecigarettes-is-vaping-safe.aspx

Joint Royal College of General Practice and Cancer Research UK podcast June 2019

NHS England Public health: Vaping in England: 2021 evidence update summary.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/vaping-in-england-evidence-update-february-2021/vaping-in-england-2021-evidence-update-summary