agree that vaping is much less harmful than smoking . But perceptions have shifted more and more to the negative in recent years after events in the US like the THC lung illness outbreak and the spike in teen use of vape products have painted the e-cigarette as a dangerous lifestyle product rather than a reduced risk alternative to tobacco .
Around 78,000 people die from tobaccorelated diseases each year in the UK alone .
Ann McNeill , Professor of Tobacco Addiction at King ’ s College London and lead author of the report , said : “ What is concerning is that smokers , particularly those from disadvantaged groups , incorrectly and increasingly believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking . This is not true and means fewer smokers try vaping .
“ The goal for 2030 is to be smoke free in England . The development of a new Tobacco Control Plan and this year ’ s review of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 is an opportunity to ensure that the regulations around vaping are appropriate .
“ The regulations are also hoped to help smokers to quit , while not attracting people who have never smoked .”
The report found that around six percent of England ’ s adult population ( 2.7 million people ) vape , which is largely unchanged from 2019 ’ s report . Meanwhile , smoking prevalence continues to fall and varies between 13.8 percent and 16 percent across different surveys .
The vaping community is overwhelming populated by current and former smokers , with less than one percent of vapers having never smoked . Meanwhile , dual use continues to decline , suggesting that more and more vapers are successfully switching once they find the right product for them .
PHE has commissioned a full e-cigarette safety review which is set for publication in 2022 . King ’ s College London will work alongside a team of researchers from across the UK and US to create a broad and balanced overview of the available evidence .
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