NHS establishments have been advocating the use of vape pens in accident and emergency for smokers struggling to quit.

Since early 2021, research carried out by the University of East Anglia has confirmed that vaping may help reduce smoking rates. 

The university took part in the Cochrane Review which was led by the University of Oxford. The Cochrane Review found that nicotine based electronic cigarettes were able to help heavy smokers reduce the number of cigarettes they used. The Cochrane Review was published in Mid-October and found definitively that this was the case.

The Research that Supports Vapes as cigarette Replacement Therapy

The Cochrane Review points out the health problems caused by smoking and the need for a solution. They mention that 35 peer reviewed studies and 24 non-reviewed studies with supporting evidence, all culminates in proving the efficacy of the vape pen as an alternative to Nicotine Replacement Therapy. The studies contained 1498 people in total. They found that 6 in 100 people quit using NRT, to 10/100 using vape pens. 

It is theorised that the action of smoking a vape pen is similar enough to the action of smoking, that it emulates the sensations the smoker normally gets. 

Other studies mentioned in the review created an accumulation of evidence that is hard to ignore. Vape pens could rival NRT in the treatment of smoking cessation. 

The Trial

Trials are being carried out by a handful of A&E departments throughout England and Scotland. These brave hospitals have volunteered to issue vape pen starter packs to smokers who come to their hospital. If smokers agree to participate in the trial, they are then interviewed with follow up appointments to monitor the success rate of quitting with vapes. 

The study is set to run for 30 months and is being funded by the NIHR – the National Institute for Health Research. Spokespeople have said that smokers trying to quit enjoy the similarities of the vape pen, but that they can now see that E-cigarettes are a healthier alternative to tobacco products. 

The trial has become a collaborative effort with plenty of universities in England involved. A spokesman from Norwich Medical School pointed out that English A&E departments see more than 5 million smokers every year. 

The smokers involved in the trial will receive advice on how to quit throughout their trial. They will be given a referral to local stop-smoking services/charities, and they will be interviewed at one month, 3 month and 6 month intervals after they are issued their starter pack. 

The findings from this research should open the doors to using vapes in NHS stop-smoking programs. This would revolutionise what we know about smoking cessation.

Vaping Activists have Sought This Decision for Years

The activists at the UK Vaping Industry Association have been campaigning for just such a result for years now. They call this a victory and hail it as a massive step in harm reduction. They have been campaigning to have vape products officially recognised as preventative of further harm for years. 

The UKVIA have hailed the trial as coming at the correct time. They report a massive increase in smokers since the Covid-19 crisis. According to their sources, 10% of ex-smokers started again during the Covid Crisis.