Guardian: Vaping reaches record levels in Great Britain, ASH report reveals

An estimated 4.3 million people are using e-cigarettes according to 2022 findings, up from about 800,000 a decade ago in what Action on Smoking and Health, which produced the report, called a “vaping revolution”. Hazel Cheeseman, ASH Deputy Chief Executive, said to the Guardian that the increase in smokers switching to vaping was “great news”. “They can be lifesaving tools for those struggling to quit. At the same time, we can’t rely on vaping to fully solve the problem of smoking. We must address the recent increase in youth vaping and put in place wider efforts to address smoking as vaping won’t work for everyone. The time for government action is now,” she said.

Watch ASH Deputy CEO Hazel Cheeseman speak to ITV News on whether social media platform TikTok is promoting vaping to under-18s

NHS’s Quit4Life scheme has been giving out £25 vaping vouchers in Hampshire since 2018. Hazel Cheeseman, of Action on Smoking and Health, said she would welcome many more schemes being established around the country”, but added that “vapes are important but not sufficient to help secure the government’s vision of a smoke-free country by 2030.”

“The glamorous promotion of vaping on social media is completely inappropriate and social media platforms should take responsibility,” says Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH to the Telegraph. The Khan review suggested that £15 million should be invested in enforcement, but “online platforms like TikTok don’t need to wait, they must act now”, Arnott says.

Ahead of the publication of Javed Khan’s independent review, Deborah Arnott, chief executive of anti-smoking group ASH tells the Telegraph it is imperative that the ‘carrot’ element of Khan’s reforms are fully-funded. “The tobacco control budget has been cut by a third since 2015. It doesn’t make any sense. To achieve a smokefree 2030 requires a massive increase in the rate of decline,” she says. “We were delighted when the Government announced the smoke-free 2030 target [...] But nearly three years have passed and there’s still no plan, no investment and, on current trends, no chance of success.”

ASH Chief Executive Deborah Arnott’s response to Philip Morris International’s push towards the cannabis sector, is cited in the Telegraph: “Last August PMI [Philip Morris International] gave a public commitment ‘to operate Vectura as an autonomous business unit”. “Less than nine months later, Vectura and PMI are closely entwined in a joint venture.”

Marking No Smoking Day 2022, ASH chief executive Deborah Arnott was cited in the Northern Echo: “No one should give up on giving up. Every time someone tries to stop smoking, they are a step closer to success. Like anything worth doing it can take practice to stop smoking – but there is lots of help out there. Smokers are three times more likely to succeed in quitting with help from a trained professional than with willpower alone. Healthcare professionals can refer them to this support but smokers can also find their local free service by searching ‘smokefree’ and entering their postcode.”

Chief executive of ASH, Deborah Arnott, is quotes in the Pharmaceutical Journal, responding to their story ‘No new licence applications for e-cigarettes since UK medicines regulator changed its guidance’: “Making an application for a medicinal license requires the pulling together of a very detailed dossier which can take significantly longer than six months.” “That no applications have yet been made is no reflection on consumer e-cigarettes currently on the market, which already meet safety standards which are set and overseen by the MHRA [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency].”

Chief Executive, Deborah Arnott, and Deputy Chief Executive, Hazel Cheeseman, appeared on Greatest Hits Radio Stations to discuss ASH's Inequalities Dashboard findings.

Research to mark our 50th anniversary was presented in the Express newspaper with the findings that smoking has claimed 8 million lives in the last 50 years.