Beamsville, ON, Feb. 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Over the years the arguments against vaping have shifted. First, it was widely debated whether vaping was indeed less harmful than smoking. As the science progressed, vaping became widely recognised as a significantly less harmful alternative to smoking. For the past 7 years, Public Health England has maintained that vaping is unlikely to exceed 5% of the harm of smoking.
With vaping accepted as a harm reduction product, the goal post shifted and the debate on vaping’s efficacy began. Again, science found vaping to be the most effective tool for quitting smoking.
An international review, produced by Cochrane, a global network of independent researchers, has reviewed the top studies on vaping’s efficacy. The review found that smokers who used vaping to quit were more likely to be successful. The results found vaping to be 70% more effective than any other nicotine replacement therapy. Many experts have stated they believe the Cochrane review should end the debate on vaping’s effectiveness for quitting smoking.
Additionally, Public Health England issued a press release stating that vaping is better than all other nicotine replacement therapy products (NRT). The release stated that vaping has a quit success rate of between 59.7% and 74% in 2019 and 2020, when paired with stop smoking services and that an estimated 50,000 smokers quit through vaping that otherwise would have continued smoking.
Despite the emergence of research indicating that vaping is effective for quitting smoking, other studies have been conducted with contrary findings. Such findings have continued to fuel the debate and contributed to the confusion felt by smokers.
A 2019 PATH study which found vaping to be less effective than NRT products has gained media attention. In response to the study, Professor John Britton, Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology, University of Nottingham, said “The findings of this observational study of quitting and e-cigarette use in the USA are fundamentally flawed by confounding by severity, whereby the heaviest (most addicted) smokers, having tried and failed to quit using NRT or other treatments in the past, or who have declined to try to quit in the past, then try e-cigarettes. This is probably why they conflict with the findings of meta-analyses of the multiple, well-designed clinical trials that have demonstrated that e-cigarettes are effective quitting aids, and which led to the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommending e-cigarettes to help smokers to quit in guidance published at the end of 2021.”
“Proponents of restrictive vaping regulation have a history of cherry picking science, in an attempt to undermine the value of vaping to smokers and society as a harm reduction tool. The promotion of this specific study is no different. To make any definitive determination, the full body of research to date must be reviewed. This is also how both political leaders and public health must view vaping policy and regulation,” said Darryl Tempest, Government Relations Council to the CVA Board.
“The conversation shouldn’t be whether vaping is more effective than NRT, instead the conversation should be focused on how to support smokers trying to quit, other arguments are irresponsible,” stated Tempest.
Smoking continues be the world’s leading cause of death. A clear message to smokers that vaping is less harmful will save lives.
