E-Cigarettes: A Benefit Or Loss For Public Health?
Are e-cigarettes good or bad for public health? It has been the subject of heated discussion lately. Some believe that e-cigarettes could drive traditional cigarettes off the market. Meanwhile, they can save lives by helping smokers quit. However, others believe that e-cigarettes could make quitting smoking more difficult. Besides, it’ll serve as a gateway to smoking, especially among young people.
We can draw three key points from the basis of this never-ending discussion. First, whether or not e-cigarettes are safe. Second, are they helpful for quitting smoking? And the third is whether or not they serve as a gateway to traditional cigarettes, particularly for young people, by exposing them to nicotine.
Fewer toxins do not always mean that they are safe
E-cigs don’t produce carcinogens like carbon monoxide, tar, or other harmful substances. Therefore, its users often see them as a safer option for nicotine delivery. Studies show that e-cigarettes generate fewer harmful compounds. These include carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide – two of the more than 7000 chemicals contained in tobacco smoke. As a result, they can be better than some smoking cessation aids at lowering tobacco use and lowering the risk of developing lung cancer.
However, using e-cigarettes raises questions beyond just preventing cancer. According to certain research, e-cigs aerosols may contain ultra-fine particles. These connect to cardiovascular disorders because they interfere with blood vessel function. Additionally, the ultra-fine particles cause lung irritation. This then increases the risk of asthma and respiratory infections.
Overall, e-cigs might be less dangerous than regular cigarettes. However, since they haven’t been on the market long enough, there hasn’t been any in-depth study on them. Additionally, there’s a widely held belief that they serve as a means of achieving the ultimate goal of public health. This helps individuals stop smoking. However, the topic remains debatable and calls for further study.
E-cigs do not usually help smokers quit
One argument in favor of e-cigarettes is that they can function as quitting aids like nicotine patches and lozenges. Even both of these have received US Food and Drug Administration approval. According to studies on the use of e-cigarettes as quitting aids, smokers who did not use e-cigs had a 28% lower likelihood of quitting than those who did. However, in reality, a significant part of e-cigs users start using them to help quit smoking.
Meanwhile, others use them to get their nicotine fixed in places where they can’t smoke. Most adults who use e-cigarettes continue to smoke regular cigarettes, said two researchers Glantz and David Bareham of Lincolnshire Community Health Services in the United Kingdom. We call them dual users. According to the researcher’s findings in the 2018 Annual Review of Public Health, 93% of e-cigarette users who continued to smoke cigarettes were in the US in 2014. Meanwhile, 83% were in France, and 60% were in the UK. Due to their discretion and convenience in smoking-restricted places, these dual users often use e-cigs. Thus, it can make them smoke more often and make their addiction worse.
E-cigs can help smokers who want to cut back on their nicotine consumption quit. However, they can also make their addiction to nicotine worse for smokers who don’t want to stop. Moreover, simply switching to electronic cigarettes won’t solve the addiction issue. Therefore, if you want to successfully stop smoking, you must be deliberate about how you use e-cigs as a tool. While you’re at it, make sure to buy high-quality e-cigs and vaping accessories from a reputable supplier. You can do so by visiting https://epuffer.com/.
E-cigs as a stepping stone to conventional cigarettes
Many e-cig critics, the majority of whom manufacture traditional cigarettes, contend that e-cigarette producers aggressively market to young people to sell their products. They draw young people towards e-liquids. And the reason behind this is their appealing packaging and variety of flavors. For example, bubblegum and cinnamon red hot. According to one study, young adults who experiment with e-cigarettes believe that e-liquids are simply flavored water with no added nicotine or negative health effects. However, once they get dependent, quitting is challenging. In fact, 40.4% of high school kids who vape have previously smoked, according to some researchers from the University of South California. On the other hand, only 10.5% of high schoolers who have smoked have never vaped.
Abrams, a different researcher, believes e-cigs are less to blame for young people smoking. He contends that kids typically engage in risk-taking behavior. Thus, they will frequently experiment with drugs and alcohol as well as tobacco, marijuana, and e-cigarettes. As a result, the idea that e-cigarettes are a stepping stone to traditional cigarettes is quite baseless. He also stresses the necessity of keeping an eye out for youth smoking.
The National Youth Tobacco Survey and the ongoing Monitoring the Future Study both show that youth smoking has been declining over time. Both of these have been conducted for more than 40 years and have reliable arguments. This shows progress and demonstrates that, even if vaping were a gateway to smoking, it would not be hurting many young people. So, Abrams believes there should be solid measures to stop young people from obtaining e-cigarettes. However, he acknowledges that the concept of the “gateway effect” is a real worry.
Conclusion
The debate regarding the effect of e-cigs on public health appears to be far from settled. Also, it will likely continue until experts have more information gathered over time. Moreover, different viewpoints exist about the regulation of the adult use of e-cigarettes. Some believe that they should cost similar to conventional cigarettes. It will discourage its usage. Moreover, we should undertake public health initiatives to educate people about the risks associated with dual use and the gateway effect. For those who believe that nicotine products should cost according to the harm they cause, traditional cigarettes should be more highly taxed than electronic cigarettes to entice users to switch to the latter.
Nevertheless, the majority of public health researchers concur on a few points. For example, the ban on e-cigarette use in smoking-restricted places and the ban on marketing e-cigarettes to youngsters. There has also been a number of legislation to restrict access to e-cigarettes by children. However, there is still a great deal of debate around the marketing of e-cigarettes. Moreover, only evidence from research showing the harm caused by marketing e-cigarettes to youth will be able to resolve the issue.
