E-Cigarettes And The NHS

Big news has just broken that has the potential to change the vaping industry forever!

The rumours are true, e-cigarettes may soon be prescribed by the UK's biggest health service, our beloved NHS at a last-ditch attempt, supported by ministers to reduce smoking rates in the UK.

In this article we are going to debunk everything and answer your questions in regard to this mind-blowing new discovery:

Will Vapes be Prescribed?

Is Vaping a Nicotine Replacement Therapy?

Will Vaping Help Me Quit Smoking?

How Do People View E-Cigarettes?

What Products Can Help?

Prescription Vapes?
It is no secret that the NHS is under strain, which was only worsened by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Smoking is one of the biggest strains on the NHS, and has a massive impact on people across the nation, around 64,000 people die from smoking each year and in 2019 and 2020 statistics 1,991,183 people were hospitalised from smoking alone, which only increases year by year.

The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products regulatory agency) have published new guidance that gives medicinally licensed e-cigs to be prescribed for smokers that want to quit smoking.

This bold step could make England become the first-ever country in the world to prescribe e-cigarettes for smokers and potentially set the tone for countries worldwide.

Vaping: Nicotine Replacement Therapy?
In recent months PHE published findings made by Kings College that states Vaping is the best product in helping people quit smoking above any other nicotine replacement therapy.

E-cigarette use and vaping, in general, gives you many of the familiar benefits that you would get out of smoking, without the harmful side effects.

E-cigarettes allow you to inhale nicotine at variable levels. Vapes are known to replicate the sensation of cigarette smoke through vapour without tar or carbon monoxide in addition to the other harmful chemicals within tobacco products.

Can Vaping Help You Quit Smoking?
Quitting smoking is difficult for everyone, but statistics show that going cold turkey is not the most successful way to quit for good, only 3-5 out of 100 people that go cold turkey are successful at quitting for longer than 6 months. Quitting smoking by using e-cigarettes to substitute traditional cigarettes are twice as effective as any other method eg. patches or Nicorette gum.

Medical leaders including Doctors and health campaigners fully support the consideration of prescription e-cigarettes. The former health minister Norman Lamb stated: “I am convinced this will be a gamechanger,”. Norman Lamb chaired the Commons science and technology committee’s inquiry into e-cigarettes in 2018. The committee concluded that there is a “significant benefit” to having e-cigarettes that could be prescribed.

How Are E-cigarettes Viewed?
Surprisingly people aren't as educated about vaping facts, and the knowledge and opinion surrounding e-cigarettes are polarising.

Finding from the Vaping in England: 2021 Evidence Update Summary found that:

Perceptions of the harm caused by vaping compared with smoking are increasingly out of line with the evidence. The STS survey found:

·29% of current smokers believed vaping was less harmful than smoking
·38% believed vaping was as harmful as smoking
·18% did not know whether vaping or smoking was more harmful
·15% of smokers believed vaping was more harmful than smoking

These statistics prove that people are not that willing to try e-cigarettes commercially, and stronger influences are needed to really make a change.

Prof Linda Baul who is the chair for the Bruce and John Usher public health at the University of Edinburgh said the consideration of prescribed e-cigarettes is “excellent news”.

She goes on to say: “While there is good evidence that e-cigarettes available as consumer products can help smokers to quit, we also know that up to one in three smokers in the UK has not tried these devices,”

“Smokers have concerns about safety and misperceptions about the relative risks of e-cigarettes compared with tobacco. For some, the cost is also perceived as a barrier. The option of having approved devices that could be prescribed would reassure smokers about relative risks and also assist in reaching those least able to afford e-cigarettes.”

Products That help
Some of the products that tend to help people smoke are disposable vape kits, they are closely aligned with cigarettes as they can be used straight out of the packet and offer a mess-free and easy vaping experience, alongside a high nicotine content and satisfying MTL throat hit.

In addition, if you want a little more control over your e-liquid or a longer-lasting kit, we recommend using lower-powered pod or pen-style kits. 

Will you be supporting this potentially new venture into prescription vapes?