London, UK — Today UK Health Minister Neil O’Brian anunciado the United Kingdom will further double down on backing vaping as a smoking cessation tool by encouraging one million smokers to swap cigarettes with free vape starter kits, provide financial incentives to pregnant women to quit smoking, and introduce mandatory information sheet inserts into cigarettes packs.

A World Vapers' Alliance, uma organização global de consumidores de vaping, elogia o comprometimento do governo do Reino Unido. Essas medidas fortalecerão a posição do Reino Unido como um dos campeões da redução de danos do tabaco em todo o mundo, diz Michael Landl, Diretor da World Vapers' Alliance:

“O Reino Unido é um campeão da cessação do tabagismo e líder mundial na redução de danos. As taxas de tabagismo caíram em mais de 29% na última década desde que o vaping se tornou amplamente popular, e o governo deve redobrar a adesão ao vaping. A ampla adoção do vaping devido ao forte apoio político e evidências médicas sólidas é o motivo pelo qual as taxas de tabagismo diminuem mais rapidamente do que em outros países. Ajudar ainda mais os fumantes a mudar acelerará a história de sucesso do Reino Unido.”

Politico recently reported that some ministers were considering imposing higher taxes on vaping products, and enforcing new regulations on packaging and flavours in response to the Khan Review published last year. This would endanger the progress achieved by fully embracing vaping for smokers.

“It is great news for public health that Health Minister O’Brian withstands the pressure from anti-vaping groups, who ignore scientific facts and the success of the UK’s approach. Caving-in would be a disaster for smokers and current vapers. Higher taxation of vaping products and equalling vaping with smoking, rather than a risk-based regulation, would push many vapers back to smoking and not help current smokers to switch to a less harmful alternative”, acrescentou Landl.

Compared to the EU’s 25% smoking rate, the UK is on the right track and these new policy measures would be a further push in the right direction. Earlier this year, the UK was crowned as one of the tobacco harm reduction champions by the World Vapers’ Alliance in the Tobacco Harm Reduction Policy Primer.