Swap to Stop was announced by the government on 11 April 2023 as what it called a world first scheme, offering free vape starter kits and behavioural support to help smokers switch away from cigarettes. The ambition was large: almost 1 in 5 smokers in England, around one million people, were set to be offered a kit, with each council running its own version and deciding which groups to prioritise.

What had been missing was a clear picture of whether the scheme changed how people tried to quit, now addressed by researchers at the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Addictions, a King's College London and UCL collaboration. Their study, led by Dr Vera Buss of UCL with Professor Leonie Brose of King's as senior author, was published in Addiction in March 2026, funded by the NIHR with support from Cancer Research UK and the UK Prevention Research Partnership, comparing smoking and vaping behaviour across England before and after launch using the long running Smoking Toolkit Study.

The NHS's own guidance, set out on its Smoking Cessation & NHS Support page, describes nicotine vaping as less harmful than smoking and one of the most effective tools for quitting, stating that people who vape to quit are about twice as likely to succeed as those using patches or gum alone. Vapes still contain addictive nicotine, but without the tar, carbon monoxide and other toxic chemicals produced by burning tobacco. Adjusting nicotine strength can help manage cravings, and some local Stop Smoking Services offer free starter packs to smokers who want to try switching.

The guidance comes with real caveats, set out further on our Vaping Health & Usage page. No vaping product is currently licensed as a stop smoking medicine in the UK, so none is available on prescription. Vaping is "not completely harmless", and the long term effects are not yet fully known. Side effects can include coughing, a dry mouth or throat, irritation and headaches, and devices and e-liquid should be kept away from children and pets, since nicotine is poisonous if swallowed. Children and people who have never smoked should never vape. For anyone pregnant, stopping smoking altogether is the priority, with licensed nicotine replacement therapy the recommended first option, though vaping is considered likely less harmful than continuing to smoke for those who find it helps them stay smoke free. Our Health & Safety page covers using a device responsibly in more detail.

Tracking the period from December 2023, when Swap to Stop launched, to December 2024, the researchers found that around 125,000 more people in England started using vapes to try to quit smoking than would otherwise have been expected, a sustained 1.5 percentage point rise in the proportion of smokers using vaping specifically in a quit attempt. Dr Buss, the study's lead author, said people who vape to quit are about 50% more likely to succeed than those using nicotine replacement therapy, a figure from this specific comparison rather than the NHS's separate "twice as likely" guidance quoted above.

A separate, earlier evaluation cited alongside the new study found that roughly one in five participants given a free vape and support had quit smoking. The researchers frame their headline findings as associations drawn from survey data rather than proof from a randomised trial, concluding that policymakers should consider continued funding for the programme.

None of this changes the law on what you can buy or who can buy it, but it is worth knowing where vaping actually fits if you are trying to stop smoking yourself.

• A free kit through Swap to Stop depends on where you live, since each council funds its own version; check with your local Stop Smoking Service or see our Smoking Cessation & NHS Support page.
• No vaping product is licensed as a stop smoking medicine in the UK, so none is on prescription; a starter kit from our Pod Kits range is a straightforward alternative if a local scheme is not available.
• Vaping is intended for adult smokers moving away from cigarettes, never for people who have never smoked or anyone under 18.
• Once confident you will not return to smoking, the usual next goal is to stop vaping too, since neither habit is the healthiest long term option.
• Recycle a device at the end of its life rather than binning it; our guide to UK vape recycling rules explains how, and our Health & Safety page covers safe use more broadly.