Here s some good news for those promoting the use of e-cigarettes as a form of tobacco harm reduction. According to a survey conducted in 6,000 current and former smokers in the United States, Canada, Australia and Great Britain, e-cigarettes devices which provide nicotine in a benign vapor, geared towards helping addicted smokers quit are viewed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes by 80 percent of those surveyed. The survey found though, that only 3 percent of respondents currently used e-cigarettes.
But here s another promising finding: Dr. Richard O Connor of Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY and colleagues found that most e-cigarette users also said they buy the products to help them reduce or quit smoking.
ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross was not surprised. Of course smokers desperate to quit who have tried and failed on the approved methods will turn to e-cigarettes to help them quit. Why else would anyone use them? The only people who allege surprise at this information are our public health officials and spokespeople for the big public health nonprofits, who ignore and distort the clear evidence of the large number of Americans using these products and the anecdotal evidence of their safety and efficacy.