With more and more people choosing to use e-cigarettes as their preferred option for quitting smoking, the South East Tobacco Control Network have developed a position statement to bring together the latest information and resources.

Electronic cigarettes are an effective and popular method for quitting smoking tobacco, yet the perception of harm caused by them, compared with smoking tobacco, is increasingly out of step with the current evidence-base. This has led to health and social care professionals delivering variable advice in relation to the products.

Electronic cigarettes are far less harmful than smoked tobacco. Whilst not risk free, based on the latest evidence available, electronic cigarettes 

carry a fraction of the risk of tobacco smoking. Those risks can be much reduced by only using regulated e-cigarettes and vaping liquids.

The purpose of this comprehensive guidance is to provide a South East public health consensus on electronic cigarettes, to help organisations develop their own policies and practice, ensuring a similar approach and communication messages on their promotion, regulation and advice. It steers through the latest evidence, best practice guidance, the relevant regulations and summarises the key communication messages.

We hope that partners will be able to refer to this key document to help them understand and have conversations with clients/patients about e-cigarettes.

You can read the South East Position Statement on Electronic Cigarettes here.