Vaping: Government announces “swap to stop” scheme to cut smoking rates

One million smokers in England will be given a free vaping starter kit as part of a government package of measures to get smoking rates below 5% by 2030.

At the same time the government announced it is cracking down on the illegal sale of e-cigarettes to under 18s, including the creation of a specialised “illicit vapes enforcement squad.” NHS figures for 2021 showed that 9% of 11 to 15 year old children used e-cigarettes, up from 6% in 2018.

To help reduce the number of …