Vaping can make ‘tremendous difference in smoking cessation’

Vaping can make a tremendous difference in smoking cessation, says a leading expert adding “it’s the smoke that kills, not the nicotine”.

According to Louise Ross, Business Development Manager at the Smoke Free App, an app that offers help to smokers in quitting, vaping (and other nicotine-containing products that aren’t smoked) can make a tremendous difference, allowing people who want to continue using nicotine to do it safely.

“Nicotine has been demonised for decades, but those of us who drink alcohol, eat chocolate, take caffeinated drinks such as coffee also run risks, and no one interferes,” she told UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).

Ross further added that relative risk between smoking and vaping should be highlighted in advertising and labelling. She also revealed how they went from giving out a few donated vapes courtesy of some helpful businesses to buying them wholesale to be distributed among smokers.

“We told people ‘this isn’t a medication, it’s just a free sample. You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to’. But they all did, and the majority found it to be a brilliant help for stopping smoking.

“The vaping sector needs to be very welcoming to new users; some outlets are seen as a bit scary, or just for cloud-chasers, but vape shops have lots to offer the uncertain smokers who want some information and guidance,” she said.

“What’s more, the UKVIA and Smoke Free App are committed to countering misinformation about vaping and smoking cessation generally, making it a valuable partnership for us when it comes to educating people about the comparative harm reduction between vaping and smoking.”

Smoke Free app “Smoke Free – Quit Smoking Now” (smokefreeapp.com) is known for citing vaping as a way of stopping smoking.