People will switch to smoking when disposable vapes are banned, new survey reveals

A new survey by Yorkshire Cancer Research has found that 18% of people living in the region who use disposable vapes will switch to tobacco when a new ban comes into force in June.

The charity has called for the Government to make sure vaping products remain accessible and affordable to people who want to quit smoking, warning that the ban could harm efforts to save lives.

Yorkshire Cancer Research supports the use of vaping as a tool to quit smoking and has spearheaded programmes and initiatives to help bring better access to vapes for people who smoke across the region.

Vapes are one of the most popular and effective stop smoking aids and can result in many more quits when included in stop smoking services.

A trial funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and delivered by Yorkshire Smokefree Calderdale recently found that the percentage of people who successfully quit smoking was higher among people who used vaping alone (79%), compared to people who chose nicotine replacement therapy (73%) and people who chose only behavioural support (71%).

TheYouGov survey of more than 2,000 adults in Yorkshire found that disposable products, which can be cheaper than rechargeable kits, are the preferred option for nearly a quarter (23%) of people in Yorkshire who vape.

Dr Griffiths continued: “Disposable vapes are often used by people on no or little incomes who may find the initial expense of a starter kit too great, or struggle to keep a vape charged if they do not have reliable and consistent accommodation.

“Since smoking and smoking-related cancers disproportionately affect people from disadvantaged backgrounds, there is a real risk that the ban on disposable vapes could negatively affect efforts to address health inequalities.

Research shows that vaping has a significantly lower cancer risk than smoking, with key chemicals linked to cancer present at much lower levels in people who vape compared to people who smoke.

Despite this, the survey found that 59% of people in Yorkshire think vaping products are more or equally as harmful as smoking.

To help counter these misconceptions, Yorkshire Cancer Research supports public health initiatives that positively highlight the difference in risk between smoking and vaping. The charity is calling for a comprehensive public health campaign to dispel the myths around vaping and provide a reliable source of information for people who smoke, encouraging them to stop for good.

Dr Griffiths added:  "The charity welcomes the new powers given to Ministers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to regulate the display of vapes. Ministers should use powers granted by the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to move vaping products to behind the counter locations in retail shops. This can help keep vapes out of the hands of children by preventing vapes from being displayed alongside toys and sweets.

“However, given the proportion of people in Yorkshire who think that vaping products are equally or more harmful than cigarettes it is important that, if vaping products are moved behind the counter, marketing positively highlights the difference in risk between smoking and vaping"