especially combined with the support of stop smoking services . The Department of Health and Social Care ( DHSC ) cites the recent Cochrane review , which found that e-cigarettes were more effective than nicotine replacement therapy ( NRT ) and a report showing that vaping contributed to 70,000 additional quits per year in England alone . But the consultation may prove far from a home run in the current climate . European nations are beginning to crack down heavily on the flavoured e-liquids that make vaping such an attractive , and successful , alternative to combustible tobacco . Even if the UK does not take the lead of its European neighbours , its commitment to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ( WHO FCTC ) could leave it in a tricky position . The WHO remains highly sceptical of the potential for vaping to reduce tobacco-related harms , instead continuing to back pharmaceutical initiatives like patches and gum . The health body ’ s stance is frequently challenged by public health figures in the UK . In response to a Q & A published on the WHO website in 2020 , Prof Peter Hajek , Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London ( QMUL ), said : “ The WHO has a history of anti-vaping activism that is damaging their reputation . This document is particularly malign . “ Practically all the factual statements in it are wrong .” Still , even if the government faces pressure from the WHO to tighten the rules , the UK ’ s recent record on tobacco control will be difficult to ignore . Smoking prevalence dropped to an all-time low of 14.1 percent in 2019 as e-cigarette use rose beyond the three million mark . Make sure you have your say on the Gov . UK website before 11:59pm on March 19 , 2021 .
“ As an industry , the vaping community has done much to provide vital information and alternatives to smokers for many years .”
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