The UK’s largest vapor retailer has attacked Government cuts to combustible cigarette support services, and plans to help address the issue through investments.
VPZ said it is set to launch a new support service in its stores to help smokers turn from cigarettes for good, amid the reduction in available support, according to an article on Yahoo Finance
Bosses at the retailer, which has 135 stores across the country, have criticised reductions in public health spending which they believe have made it “more difficult” for smokers to quit, according to the article.
“Our customer engagement tells us that most smokers want to quit,” said Doug Mutter, director at VPZ.
“Sadly, the huge cuts in public health spending is currently failing smokers throughout the country and they are being denied the vital help that can truly transform their health and wellbeing.”
A recent report from Action on Smoking and Health and Cancer Research UK found that 44% of local authorities no longer have a specialist stop smoking service for smokers in their area, according to the article.
The annual report also found that support for smokers and funding for other measures to promote quit attempts has fallen by £41.3 million, around 30%, since 2014.
VPZ said that it believes using vaping to wean smokers off cigarettes can “help tackle the problem”, however questions still remain over the impact of vaping on users’ health, the article states.