Britain gives pregnant women free e-cigarettes to quit smoking

According to the British "Daily Telegraph", "The Independent" and many other British media reported on October 22, the Lambeth (Lambeth) City Council in the borough of Greater London, England will distribute electronic cigarettes to pregnant women free of charge as a new part of smoking cessation services. The council said their service would save expecting mothers £2,000 a year in tobacco money and help women quit smoking.

 In response to the plan, a Lambeth City Council spokesman explained that smoking during pregnancy was a major risk factor for adverse birth outcomes, including stillbirths, miscarriages and premature births, according to the Telegraph. At the same time, smoking during pregnancy also increases the fetus' risk of developing respiratory diseases, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, ear, nose and throat problems, obesity and diabetes. "The data shows that women from low-income households are significantly more likely to smoke during pregnancy," the spokesperson said.

To that end, the council provides "a comprehensive range of specialist smoking cessation services" for pregnant women who smoke, including counselling, behavioural support and nicotine replacement therapy. And now, they plan to support the use of e-cigarettes by women who choose e-cigarettes as their preferred smoking cessation aid, "because e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking."

The spokesperson also added that they recognise that while it is best for pregnant women to stop smoking and not continue nicotine use, for some it is difficult to do. In this case, if they choose to use e-cigarettes, "e-cigarettes can help them achieve smoking cessation."

It is worth mentioning that, according to The Independent on the 22nd, the details of the plan were first announced by MP Ben Kind, and the BBC reported the news on the 22nd. According to the BBC, Kinder disclosed the free e-cigarette distribution to pregnant women in response to questions about Lambeth's efforts to address child and family poverty.

According to Kinder, more than 3,000 families in Lambeth have been pushed into poverty by their smoking habits, many of them with children. In this regard, "Council will soon begin offering free vaping products to smokers who are pregnant or caring for young children as part of their smoking cessation service." Every family saves around £2,000 a year on tobacco.