In a bid to address health inequality and family poverty, a council in the United Kingdom will soon be handing out free vapes to pregnant people who smoke.
Lambeth Council, a local authority in South London, already runs pregnancy smoking cessation services, which include behavioral support, counseling and access to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) like patches.
But it announced in October that it will now also provide e-cigarettes as a way to help pregnant people and those who care for children. The program will begin in a few weeks.
“We recognize that while it is best for pregnant smokers to stop smoking without continuing to use nicotine, this is difficult, and if they choose to use e-cigarettes it can help them become smoke-free,” a council spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson noted that vaping is “less harmful compared to smoking.” They added: “Smoking during pregnancy also increases the risk of children developing several respiratory conditions, attention and hyperactivity difficulties, learning difficulties, problems of the ear, nose and throat, obesity, and diabetes.”
Kiran Sidhu – Filter – 2022-12-12.
Want More Investigative Content?
