Welcome to the latest Tobacco Control News – Research Roundup, presented by Connie the Clever Cockie.  You have probably heard the recent news from overseas that the UK Government is launching a program to encourage people who smoke to switch to vaping. Under the ‘Swap to Stop’ scheme one million people who smoke in England will be given a free vaping starter kit. This is despite increasing concerns in the UK about the number of teenagers and young people taking up vaping. The UK Government’s approach is in stark contrast to that of Australia and many other countries, where the use of vapes are generally discouraged and even greater regulation on their accessibility is being discussed. The Australian Health Minister Mark Butler recently said, “The tobacco industry has found a new way to develop a generation of nicotine addicts, and we will not stand for it.”

So why have the UK taken this route which they say is grounded in evidence? NBPU TIS thought we should take a look at the evidence the UK based its decision on (The Khan Review 2022) to make sure we are not missing any new and emerging evidence which supports the effectiveness of ‘vaping for quitting’.

Read my Research Roundup on the UK’s ‘Swap to Stop’ Scheme for a brief summary of what the current published evidence says.

For more of Connie the Clever Cockie’s updates, visit the Tobacco Control News page.