SMOKERS will get free vaping kits in exchange for quitting tobacco under “world-first” new health plans.
Councils in England will offer e-cigarette trades to up to a million people – nearly a fifth of smokers – to slash addiction rates.
Pregnant women will be paid with shopping vouchers if they ditch the fags.
Ministers’ anti-smoking drive will also crack down on a teenage vaping scourge blasted as “utterly unacceptable” by Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty.
Enforcement squads will punish shops that sell to youngsters and could ban disposable vapes with jazzy colours and flavours, as revealed by The Sun in March.
The review could also bring in mandatory help-to-quit leaflets inside cigarette packets.
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Health Minister Neil O’Brien will say in a launch speech on Tuesday: “Up to two out of three lifelong smokers will die from smoking.
“Cigarettes are the only product on sale which will kill you if used correctly.
“We will offer a million smokers new help to quit.
“We will be funding a new national ‘swap to stop’ scheme – the first of its kind in the world.
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“We will work with councils and others to offer a million smokers across England a free vaping starter kit.”
The free kits and voucher scheme are being rolled out after successful local trials.
Health chiefs say vaping and e-cigarettes are significantly safer than tobacco because they don’t produce cancer-causing smoke or tar.
A Norfolk pilot of e-cigarette vouchers for quitters saw four in 10 people on the scheme kick the habit within a month.
Trials of high street vouchers for mums-to-be in York, Scotland and Belfast found a quarter of them quit with the incentive of up to £400 in gift cards.
Offers will likely target heavy smokers and those who have tried to quit before but failed.
Local councils will sign up for the schemes later this year and decide how they are run.
Around 13 per cent of people in England smoke – 5.4m adults – but ministers want it below five per cent by 2030.
The habit causes at least 15 types of cancer – including 70 per cent of lung cancer cases – and smoking in pregnancy seriously harms and kills unborn babies.
Deborah Arnott, chief of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “Vapes and vouchers increase smokers’ chances of successfully quitting so these are welcome steps forward – but not enough.
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“Last year’s government-commissioned Khan report warned that, without immediate funding of £125million a year, the smokefree 2030 target would be missed by years.
“Not to mention the absence of tougher regulations to raise the age of sale and reduce the appeal of smoking as well as vaping.”
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