Should we advocate disposable vape?

A disposable vape is a device that allows you to inhale nicotine in a vapour rather than smoke.

Disposable vapes do not burn tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most damaging elements in tobacco smoke.

They work by heating a liquid that typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerine, and flavourings.

Will an e-cigarette help me stop smoking?

Many thousands of people in the UK have already stopped smoking with the help of an e-cigarette. There's growing evidence that they can be effective.

Using a disposable vape can help you manage your nicotine cravings. To get the best out of it, make sure you're using it as much as you need to and with the right strength of nicotine in your e-liquid.

A major UK clinical trial published in 2019 found that, when combined with expert face-to-face support, people who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking were twice as likely to succeed as people who used other nicotine replacement products, such as patches or gum.

You will not get the full benefit from vaping unless you stop smoking cigarettes completely. You can get advice from a specialist vape shop or your local stop smoking service.

Getting expert help from your local stop smoking service gives you the best chance of quitting smoking for good.

What about risks from nicotine?

While nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes, it's relatively harmless.

Almost all of the harm from smoking comes from the thousands of other chemicals in tobacco smoke, many of which are toxic.

Nicotine replacement therapy has been widely used for many years to help people stop smoking and is a safe treatment.

Are e-cigarettes safe to use in pregnancy?

Little research has been conducted into the safety of e-cigarettes in pregnancy, but they're likely to be much less harmful to a pregnant woman and her baby than cigarettes.

If you're pregnant, licensed NRT products such as patches and gum are the recommended option to help you stop smoking.

But if you find using an e-cigarette helpful for quitting and staying smokefree, it's much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke.

Is e-cigarette vapour harmful to others?

There's no evidence so far that vaping causes harm to other people around you.

This is in contrast to secondhand smoke from smoking, which is known to be very harmful to health.

Can I get an e-cigarette from my GP?

E-cigarettes are not currently available from the NHS on prescription, so you cannot get one from your GP.

You can buy them from specialist vape shops, some pharmacies and other retailers, or on the internet.

How safe are e-cigarettes?

In the UK, e-cigarettes are tightly regulated for safety and quality.

They're not completely risk free, but they carry a small fraction of the risk of cigarettes.

E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful elements in tobacco smoke.

The liquid and vapour contain some potentially harmful chemicals also found in cigarette smoke, but at much lower levels.