Do you enjoy a casual smoke after a night out? Or a couple of cigarettes throughout the day at work? Well, very soon you’ll be encouraged to exchange your cigarette for a vape.
One million smokers will be prompted to swap cigarettes for vapes under a “swap to stop” scheme described by ministers as a world first.
There’s some cash in it for pregnant women too, as reports suggest they will be offered up to £400 to stop smoking.
A consultation will also be launched on introducing mandatory advice about quitting smoking on cigarette packs.
The measures were welcomed by campaigners as steps in the right direction, however they added they are “nowhere near sufficient”.
Sarah MacFadyen, from charity Asthma + Lung UK, warned “vaping isn’t going to work for everyone” and that smokers need stop-smoking services offering personalised support, funded through a tobacco industry levy.
Experts widely expect the pledge to get the nation smoke-free by 2030 to be missed without further action.
Health minister Neil O’Brien will launch the new scheme in a speech on April 11. “Up to two out of three lifelong smokers will die from smoking. Cigarettes are the only product on sale which will kill you if used correctly,” he is expected to say.
O’Brien says the government will work with councils and other organisations to offer a million smokers across England a free vaping starter kit.
Officials say this is the first scheme of its kind to be rolled out nationwide.
Funding for the stop-to-swap scheme – estimated by officials to cost around £45 million over two years – will come from the Department of Health and Social Care’s budget.
Around 9% of women still smoke during pregnancy in England. Officials hope a financial incentive, alongside behavioural support, will get all of them to stop by the end of the year.
Though vaping doesn’t have the best reputation, “vapes increase smokers’ chances of successfully quitting, as do vouchers for pregnant smokers, so these are welcome steps in the right direction,” Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the Action on Smoking and Health campaign, said. “But they are nowhere near sufficient.”
Last year, a major review led by Dr Javed Khan said smoking should be banned in outdoor spaces such as beer gardens, cafe pavements and beaches.
It also said vaping should be promoted as a means to help people stop using tobacco. But he acknowledged vapes are not a “silver bullet”, nor are they “totally risk free”, though the alternative of smoking was said to be far worse.
There will also be a crackdown on illicit vape sales as part of measures to stop children and non-smokers from taking up the habit.