A local London council believes its initiative will help women quit smoking while saving them thousands of pounds
A south London council will provide pregnant women with free e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking and save money, the BBC reported earlier this week, citing local authorities.
Women from low-income households « are much more likely to smoke during pregnancy » and so they need extra support, the Lambeth Council spokesman said.
« We now plan to support the use of e-cigarettes for women who choose this route as their preferred aid to quit smoking, as it is less harmful than smoking, » the official was quoted as saying.
Lambeth Councilor Ben Kind explained that carers of young children will also be eligible for « free vaping products. » In an official letter, seen by the BBC, Kind explains that the measure is not only aimed at « to improve the health of the family » but also to save around £2,000 a year ($2,260) per household that would otherwise be spent on cigarettes.
The cheapest pack of cigarettes in the UK costs around £10 (over $11), with prices rising steadily due to rising tobacco taxes.
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“It is estimated that over 3,000 households in Lambeth fall below the poverty line due to smoking and many of these households include children,” King said in a letter.
The UK National Health Service (NHS) claims on its website that vapes are « much less harmful than cigarettes » and there is substantial evidence of their effectiveness in quitting smoking.
However, the NHS admits that « Little research has been conducted on the safety of e-cigarettes and e-liquids during pregnancy. »
“It is not known if steam is harmful to a baby during pregnancy,” he points out, adding that while patches and gummies remain a recommended option for pregnant women, vaping is still « much safer » than continuing to smoke.
According to UK government data, in 2019 nearly seven million people in the UK, or 14.1% of the population, smoked cigarettes. Nearly three million people, or 5.7%, have smoked e-cigarettes.
Earlier this year, research commissioned by the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that the cost to society of smoking is over £17 billion for England (£19 billion). dollars) each year. For the NHS, smoking costs around $2.4 billion ($2.7 billion) a year, according to the ASH.
