Newsweek: Use E-Cigarettes to Quit Smoking, Scientists Say

[LoveVanilla]

Mystery Vaping-Related Illness Shouldn't Put People off Using E-Cigarettes to Quit Smoking, Scientists Say

Experts have warned restrictions on e-cigarettes aimed at protecting public health amid a rise of vaping-related lung illnesses in the U.S. "may do more harm than good."

In an article published in the journal Science, scientists argued banning vaping products would deprive people of a tool which—despite its problems—could help them quit smoking. Every year, smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans...

"The most conservative estimates suggest that were vaping nicotine to replace most smoking over the next 10 years, 1.6 million premature deaths would be avoided and 20.8 million quality adjusted years of life would be saved in the United States

"Restricting access and appeal among less harmful vaping products out of an abundance of caution while leaving deadly combustible products on the market does not protect public health." they said. "It threatens to derail a trend that could hasten the demise of cigarettes, poised to take a billion lives this century."

...vaping flavours, with our without nicotine, may appeal to young people but also to adult smokers who help them switch.

...regulated nicotine vaping products should be made available to adults who want to quit, while problems associated with THC vaping should be tackled. Young people's access to e-cigarettes, should be limited, they said, and marketing which targets this group banned.

"We believe that combustible products should be the most aggressively regulated to protect public health and that noncombustible products, like vaping products, should be promoted as substitutes for current smokers."

"We understand that the acute lung injuries and deaths are alarming and demand both action and attention. But we are also concerned that in a rush to act, policymakers are not carefully weighing the considerable and complex evidence base that must inform decision-making."

"Restricting access and appeal among less harmful vaping products out of an abundance of caution while leaving deadly combustible products on the market does not protect public health."

U.K. as a positive example. There, vaping is promoted as a safe alternative to smoking, but THC products are banned, and regulations are have been put in place to prevent nicotine use in young people while helping adult smokers to quit.