Ever since the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) recognized the case for tobacco harm reduction (THR) in a 2007 report and Public Health England concluded that e-cigarettes were at least 95 percent less harmful than combustible cigarettes in 2015, the United Kingdom has been a forerunner in including reduced-risk products in its tobacco control strategy.
The country’s 2017 Tobacco Control Plan (TCP), published by the department of health, stresses the importance of innovation and less harmful alternatives.
Most anti-smoking and public health organizations as well as medical institutions in the U.K. support vape products as a reduced-risk alternative to cigarettes.
Data prove that the country is heading in the right direction: Smoking prevalence is at a record low level, down from around 20 percent in 2011 to between 13.8 percent and 16 percent now, depending on the survey, according to the U.K. government. This equates to 6 million to 7 million smokers. On the other hand, the number of vapers has steadily increased, from 700,000 in 2012 to 3.6 million users in 2021, The Guardian writes. In 2020, the newspaper says, e-cigarettes were the most popular smoking cessation aid.
Stefanie Rossel – Tobacco Reporter – 2021-12-01.
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