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<p>The Government has consistently highlighted that quitting smoking and nicotine
use is the best way to improve health. E-cigarettes are not risk free. However, the
evidence is increasingly clear that vaping is significantly less harmful to health
than smoking tobacco and can be particularly useful in supporting smokers to quit,
especially when combined with stop smoking services.</p><p> </p><p>In the Tobacco
Control Plan for England, published in July 2017, the Government committed Public
Health England (PHE) to annually updating their evidence report on e-cigarettes and
other novel nicotine delivery systems until the end of Parliament in 2022. PHE’s latest
report was published on the 6 February 2018 and is available at the following link:</p><p>
</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/684963/Evidence_review_of_e-cigarettes_and_heated_tobacco_products_2018.pdf"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/684963/Evidence_review_of_e-cigarettes_and_heated_tobacco_products_2018.pdf</a></p><p>
</p><p>PHE’s most recent evidence review argues that e-cigarette use, alone or in
combination with licensed medication and behavioural support from a stop smoking service,
appears to be helpful in the short term, and that e-cigarettes have contributed to
tens of thousands of additional quitters in England.</p><p> </p><p>The PHE evidence
review concluded that “to date there have been no identified health risks of passive
vaping to by-standers”. PHE have produced guidance for organisations on developing
appropriate vaping policies for public places and workplaces, which should be evidence
based and support smokers to quit whilst managing any identified risks.</p><p> </p><p>The
Government is committed to reducing public health harms caused by smoking. PHE retain
responsibility for the provision of information regarding vaping, e-cigarettes and
other nicotine delivery systems to protect public health; and have committed to include
messages about the relative safety of e-cigarettes within quit smoking campaigns such
as the annual Stoptober campaign.</p><p> </p><p>PHE continue to provide advice on
quitting smoking, highlighting the potential role of e-cigarettes in doing so. PHE’s
latest Health Matters blog, Stop Smoking: What works? Provides advice to smokers on
different quitting options, including e-cigarettes as well as nicotine replacement
therapy and prescription medicines. This is available at the following link:</p><p>
</p><p><a href="https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/category/health-matters/"
target="_blank">https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/category/health-matters/</a></p>
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