Stop smoking services must become “e-cigarette” friendly, says Public Health England

Stop smoking services should support smokers who choose to quit by using electronic (e) cigarettes even though they are unlicensed products, Public Health England (PHE) has said.

Smokers will not be able to get e-cigarettes on prescription from healthcare professionals or dedicated stop smoking services in the same way as regulated nicotine replacement therapy such as patches and gum, PHE told a press briefing on 18 August. But, as e-cigarettes worked most effectively as a quitting aid when used in a supportive environment, such as that provided by stop smoking services, PHE said that it wanted to encourage this.

“Until we have safe and regulated e-cigarettes we cannot proactively support any specific brand within the health service,” said …