Smokefree 2030: What It Means for You, How to Prepare & Why Switching to e-Cigarettes is the Best First Step

In July 2019, the UK government announced plans to make all enclosed public places smoke-free by 2030. This means that, by 2030, smoking will be banned in workplaces, restaurants, bars and other public places. While this may seem like a long way off, it's important to start preparing for the change now. In this blog post, we will discuss what Smokefree 2030 is going to mean for you and how you can prepare for the change.

HOW PREVALENT IS SMOKING IN THE UK?

In 2019, the number of people who smoke in the UK was down to 14% (1). This is thanks to the Smokefree campaign which was launched in 2007. The campaign has helped to reduce smoking rates by encouraging people to quit and preventing young people from taking up smoking in the first place.

While the number of smokers has been falling, there are still around 5.7 million people who smoke in the UK. This means that, even after 2030, there will still be a significant number of smokers in the country.

WHAT IS THE SMOKEFREE CAMPAIGN?

Smokefree 2030 is a ambitious goal set by the UK government to create a smoke-free society by 2030 (2). This means that, by 2030, smoking will be banned in all enclosed public places, including workplaces, restaurants, bars and other public places.

WHAT DOES SMOKEFREE 2030 MEAN FOR YOU?

If you're a smoker, Smokefree 2030 is going to mean making some changes to your lifestyle. By 2030, smoking will no longer be allowed in any enclosed public place. This means that you'll need to find other places to smoke, such as outside in a park or on your own property.

If you live with someone who smokes, Smokefree 2030 is going to mean making some changes to your home. By 2030, smoking will no longer be allowed in any enclosed public place, including homes.

WHAT IS THE ROADMAP FOR A SMOKE-FREE 2030?

The government has set out a roadmap of how they plan to achieve this ambitious goal (3), which includes:

• Providing support to help people quit smoking
• Reducing the availability of cigarettes
• Restricting marketing and advertising of tobacco products
• Creating smoke-free environments

While some may see this as a long way off, it's important to start preparing for the change now. One of the things you can do to get prepared is to switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes.

 
WILL E-CIGARETTES BE ALLOWED WHEN THE NATION GOES SMOKE-FREE IN 2030?

While the government has not yet said whether or not e-cigarettes will be allowed in smoke-free areas, it is likely that they will be. E-cigarettes do not release tobacco smoke, so they are a much safer alternative to cigarettes for you and those around you. (4)

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SWITCHING TO E-CIGARETTES?

There are many benefits of switching to e-cigarettes, including :

• You will be less likely to suffer from health problems caused by tobacco smoke
• You will save money because e-cigarettes are cheaper than cigarettes
• You can use e-cigarettes anywhere, including in smoke-free areas

If you are a smoker, we urge you to consider switching to E-Cigarettes in preparation for the government's SmokeFree 2030 plan.

Where can I find out more about the SmokeFree campaign?

For more information about the SmokeFree campaign, visit:

• The Department of Health and Social Care website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care 
• The NHS website:https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/
• Smokefree England: http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk/

WHAT DOES E-CIGARETTE AND VAPING LOOK LIKE IN THE UK?

We conducted our own research and asked 125 people who purchased from our website at least once about their smoking habits to understand how effective E-Cigarettes are in helping people give up smoking cigarettes. Our findings found that:

• 96% of people we surveyed had smoked for more than 5 years before switching to e-cigarettes
• 66.4% of people have switched to e-cigarettes for more than 1 year now and 60% have not smoked a cigarette in over 1 year which demonstrates the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in the process of giving up.
• 72.8% of people voted e-cigarettes as very effective in helping them quit cigarettes while 19.2% voted them as effective.

QUESTION 1 - HOW MANY YEARS DID YOU SMOKE NORMAL CIGARETTES FOR?

QUESTION 2 - HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN USING E-CIGARETTES / VAPES FOR?

QUESTION 3 - WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SMOKED A NORMAL CIGARETTE?

QUESTION 4 - ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 5, HOW EFFECTIVE IS AN E-CIGARETTE OR VAPE AT HELPING YOU TO QUIT NORMAL CIGARETTES?

Check out the full infographic about how effective e-cigarettes and vaping are to help adult smokers to quit smoking normal cigarettes here:

 
Please include attribution to https://smoko.com/ with this graphic.

HOW EFFECITVE ARE E-CIGARETTES AND VAPING IN ASSISTING ADULT SMOKERS TO QUIT SMOKING?

SMOKEFREE 2030: WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU, HOW TO PREPARE & WHY SWITCHING TO E-CIGARETTES IS THE BEST FIRST STEP - CONCLUSION

This research evidences the positive impact switching to e-cigarettes has in helping smokers give up traditional cigarettes, including long-term smokers. In fact, a study published in November 2022, conducted by Cochrane, is the largest review of evidence to-date and found high-certainty evidence that E-Cigarettes are more effective for quitting smoking than traditional forms of nicotine replacement therapy, like the nicotine patch or gum (5). 

We hope this blog has helped to explain the UK government's plan to go smoke-free by 2030. If you are ready to quit smoking, then make the switch with SMOKO today!

REFERENCES

(1) Adult smoking habits in the UK: 2019

(2) Smokefree Generation

(3) Government sets out next steps to create ‘smokefree generation

(4) Is vaping harmful?

(5) Latest Cochrane Review finds high certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes are more effective than traditional nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) in helping people quit smoking

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Written by Mike Cameron