NHS Better Health guidance explains that most of the damage from smoking comes from burning tobacco, which produces thousands of toxic chemicals, many of them cancer‑causing. Because e‑cigarettes deliver nicotine without burning tobacco, the NHS describes vaping as much less harmful than smoking and highlights it as an effective tool for adults who want to stop, especially when used with professional support.
On its main quit‑smoking pages, the NHS lists e‑cigarettes alongside patches, gum, lozenges and prescription medicines as recognised quitting aids. It notes that many smokers find vaping one of the most helpful ways to manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms when they give up cigarettes.
The evidence behind NHS advice
Government‑commissioned evidence reviews have found that vaping exposes users to far fewer and lower levels of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals than smoking, including substances known to cause cancer and heart disease. These reviews also report that people who use a vape to quit are more likely to stop smoking successfully than those who try without any aid or only use traditional nicotine replacement products.
On the back of this, the UK government has created a route for some e‑cigarettes to be licensed as medical products, so they could be prescribed on the NHS specifically to help smokers quit. This reflects a harm‑reduction approach: while vaping is not risk‑free, it is seen as far safer for current smokers than continuing to use cigarettes.
How NHS stop‑smoking services use vapes
Local NHS stop‑smoking services and Integrated Care Boards provide simple, practical support for smokers who want to use a vape to quit. They help people choose a suitable device, pick the right nicotine strength, and set a quit date so they can switch from smoking to vaping in a planned way.
These services stress that getting enough nicotine at first is important to control cravings and avoid slip‑ups back to cigarettes. They also encourage smokers to move fully from cigarettes to vaping rather than using both long term, because nearly all of the health benefit comes when smoking stops completely.
Clear boundaries: who vaping is for
Across its guidance, the NHS draws a firm line between adults who smoke and people who do not. For non‑smokers, including children and young people, the message is that they should not start vaping because there is no health benefit and there are still some risks.
For adult smokers, the advice is very different: switching completely from cigarettes to a regulated vape is likely to be much less harmful than continuing to smoke and can be one of the most effective ways to quit. Combining vaping with professional support from an NHS stop‑smoking service gives smokers the best chance of leaving cigarettes behind for good.