Kids as young as NINE are being prescribed nicotine patches & gum on NHS to help them quit smoking, shock figures reveal

KIDS as young as nine are getting nicotine patches and gum on the NHS to help them quit smoking, shock figures reveal.

GPs issued more than 1,500 prescriptions in a year to children and teenagers.

Three kids of nine and the same number of 12-year-olds were among those getting the nicotine replacement aids, according to NHS figures for 2022, the latest available.

 GPs also handed out anti-smoking help to those aged 13 (17 times), 14 (64 times), 15 (146 times) and 16 (202 times).

NHS officials say it is money well spent if it helps kids kick the habit.

However, Lee Fernandes of the UK Addiction Treatment Centre said: “It’s disturbing so many very young children are in need of medical intervention to tackle nicotine addiction.

“While the patches will help, they’re a financial cost to the NHS that shouldn’t be required at such a young age.”

But other figures show that only three per cent of 11 to 15-year-olds admit to smoking and the number is falling.

Elsewhere, parents have blasted a school after children were told to “smoke a cigarette to calm down” in advice sent out to pupils.

A staff member at Bartley Green School in Birmingham handed out a leaflet recommending the habit to help with mental health issues.

A social media user said: “You could not make it up. Somebody should be sacked without pay.”

But another parent saw the funny side, saying: “You just can’t get the staff.”