North Yorkshire Council is considering spending nearly £500,000 on e-cigarette procurement to help residents quit smoking.
The proposals are due to be considered in a meeting about the council’s health and adult services on Thursday, during which the procurement process to acquire e-vouchers for e-cigarettes will be discussed.
A report to the council’s executive member for health and adult services confirms that smoking ‘remains the biggest preventable killer in the UK’ and costs the council roughly £400m each year in health, social care and other expenses.
As part of its current Living Well Smokefree service (LWSF) that aims to help residents quit smoking, the council provides nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), e-cigarettes, and behavioural therapy as support measures.
The new proposals entail a £477,000 spend over three years to ensure e-cigarettes remain part of the LWSF service from July 2026 to July 2029.
According to the council, 487 people participating in LWSF have used e-cigarettes to support their 'quit journey' since the inclusion of the devices in the programme in 2023.
The report says: ‘Nicotine vapes are effective cessation aids and are recommended as a first choice stop smoking aid with an evidence rating of A and a quit rate boost of x2.
‘While vaping is not risk-free, the latest review of evidence concludes that vaping, in the short and medium term, is significantly less harmful than smoking cigarettes and poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking.’
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