The UK Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) is consulting on proposals to create smoke-free and vape-free spaces, prompting responses from public health experts. The consultation seeks views on extending existing smoke-free legislation to cover areas including playgrounds, schools, and hospital grounds.
Professor Caitlin Notley, Professor of Addiction Sciences at the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School, emphasized the importance of existing smoke-free legislation in England, stating it has been “extremely important in de-normalising tobacco smoking and in protecting vulnerable people and children from exposure to second-hand smoke.” She highlighted the established health risks of second-hand smoke, advocating for continued protection of children and NHS patients.
However, Professor Notley differentiated between smoking and vaping, noting the “health evidence on exposure to second-hand vapour is much less clear.” While agreeing children should be shielded from vaping in areas like playgrounds and schools, she argued that vaping can be a “highly effective way of stopping smoking” for adults. She suggested that permitting vaping on NHS premises could be considered, particularly for long-term in-patients, to reinforce the importance of smoking cessation, especially within mental health care settings. Professor Notley, who is also Editor-in-Chief for the journal ‘Nicotine and Tobacco Research’, welcomed the consultation as an opportunity to consider a range of perspectives and evidence.
Dr. Sarah Jackson, Principal Research Fellow at UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, University College London, supported extending smoke-free legislation to playgrounds, schools, and hospital grounds, describing it as a “logical and proportionate step” to protect children and medically vulnerable individuals. She echoed Professor Notley’s point about avoiding the normalization of smoking or vaping behaviors in environments where children are present.
Dr. Jackson further elaborated on the differing risks associated with smoking and vaping, stating that smoking involves combustion and produces thousands of harmful chemicals, while vaping is “substantially less harmful and effective for helping people quit.” Research led by UCL, published in JAMA Network Open, found that exposure to second-hand vapour results in approximately 84% less nicotine absorption compared to second-hand smoke. She noted that exposure to other toxicants is also likely to be lower with vaping. Dr. Jackson stated she has “no COIs to declare.”
According to her ORCID profile, Professor Notley has not received funding from the tobacco, vaping, or pharmaceutical industries for research. She is currently Director of the Lifespan Health Research Centre at the University of East Anglia and leads the UEA Addiction Research group. She is also a Non-Executive Director at James Paget University Hospital NHS Trust.
The DHSC consultation, announced on February 12, 2026, is open for responses and seeks to gather evidence to inform future policy decisions regarding smoke-free and vape-free environments.
