Fear and Loathing at Vapefest 2010
The Tobacco Harm Reduction blog published the
story of ACSHs friend and colleague Bill Godshall, Executive Director of Smokefree Pennsylvania. Godshall attended Vapefest 2010, the worlds largest gathering of electronic cigarette consumers (who prefer being called vapers) organized by the National Vapers Club.
An e-cigarette is not a cigarette, and it is more than just a nicotine delivery device in that it replicates the feel of smoking a cigarette, explains Stier,
who wrote about e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation product for Forbes.com. It even has an LED light at the end.
There is no combustion involved, adds Dr. Whelan,
who wrote about e-cigarettes for the Washington Times. Nothing is burning, so it doesnt pose the danger of real cigarettes.
Godshalls account is interesting: My conversations with and observations of nearly all Vapefest 2010 participants revealed that: every vaper had been a cigarette smoker until they discovered vaping during the past year or two, nearly all vapers had been heavy smokers who had previously consumed one to three cigarette packs per day...nearly all vapers I spoke to indicated that their breathing, taste, and smell had significantly improved, many vapers had unsuccessfully tried to quit smoking using nicotine gums, lozenges, patches, and/or other Rx drugs.
Although all these descriptions amount to a bunch of anecdotes now, we are optimistic that when real scientific studies are finally done, the harm reduction benefits of e-cigarettes will be confirmed, says ACSHs Dr. Gilbert Ross. Meanwhile, the ill-advised and politically motivated attempts by the FDA to preemptively ban them is counter to public health goals.
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