Government health officials say e-cigarettes also have major influence in helping people quit smoking and should be available on NHS prescription.
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His comments came as an independent review of e-cigarettes by Public Health England suggested public perceptions of vaping were wrong.
Across the British population, 44.8% were found not to realise that e-cigarettes are much less harmful than smoking. Global Positioning System and stop smoking services are not able to prescribe or recommend e-cigarettes, as none of the products on the market are licensed for medicinal purposes.
“So that’s been the big concern about e-cigarettes, is that they’re another form of nicotine addiction, and that they may be associated with either initiation or continued use of cigarettes”, Novotny said.
But aside from backing their relative safety compared with normal cigarettes, the analysis, commissioned by PHE, also found that the devices can help smokers quit, and that nearly all of the 2.6 million adults “vaping” in Britain are current or ex-smokers.
Public Health England, an agency of the Department of Health, published the study and released a statement saying that e-cigarettes are not completely risk free, but just have a fraction of the harmful benefits of cigarette smoking.
PHA points out that smoking tobacco is very harmful to health and remains the single biggest cause of early death in Northern Ireland with a typical smoker dying 10-15 years earlier than they would do if they didn’t smoke.
Some view e-cigarettes as a healthier alternative to tobacco.
The findings of latest report are encouraging but contradictory to many previous studies that indicated that use of e-cigarettes can be a “gateway” to teen smoking.
Debates over e-cigarettes’ appeal to youths has caused some controversy.
Public Health England (PHE) said the figure was based on a new independent review by experts.
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However, the charity want smokers to have a “better understanding” of how e-cigarettes can help smokers quit using tobacco completely. Those who used e-cigarettes were more likely than students who did not try the devices to report smoking cigarettes, cigars or hookahs during the study period.
