The UK government will launch a world-first initiative that will see one million free vaping kits handed out in an effort to combat smoking in the UK.

Dubbed “Swap to stop”, the scheme will see almost one in five smokers in England will receive a kit alongside behavioural support, as the government commits to getting smoking rates in England below 5% by 2030.

Pregnant women specifically will also be offered cash incentives of up to £400 to encourage them to stop smoking.

In a statement released Tuesday April 11th, Health Minister Neil O’Brien said, “Up to two out of three lifelong smokers will die from smoking. Cigarettes are the only product on sale which will kill you if used correctly,”

“Smoking kills, so our priority is to prevent people smoking, and support them to quit. We remain committed to our ambition to be smoke-free by 2030”.

Despite this effort ministers acknowledged that vapes could not be considered a “silver bullet” or “totally risk free”.

Alongside the “swap to stop” programme, £3 million of new funding will also be provided to create a specialised ‘illicit vapes enforcement squad’ to enforce the rules on vaping and tackle illicit vapes and underage sales.