Research and Regulation Is a Must

Cigarette smoking is a significant public health problem and efforts to reduce its burden are critically needed. Approximately one in five of the adult U.S. population smoke cigarettes and 440,000 Americans will die from a smoking-attributable cause this year. Quitting smoking is difficult and therefore alternatives are worth investigating, but questions must be asked about any new product.

All smokers are not the same and therefore will respond differently to novel smoking cessation aids, including electronic cigarettes. The limited existing data supports that an electronic cigarette is safer than a tobacco cigarette, which is not to say it is absolutely safe. However, there is a paucity of research on how individuals actually use electronic cigarettes. What about those who might have a chance of quitting smoking altogether but instead end up replacing the tar and nicotine from traditional cigarettes with e-cigarettes? What about those who lean on electronic cigarettes to circumvent smoking restrictions at work and in social settings but continue to smoke tobacco products as well; how much are they increasing their nicotine intake?

Nicotine is an addictive drug and therefore electronic cigarettes should be subject to some form of regulation. Production standards must be enforced so that consumers can be properly informed of the amount of nicotine and other constituents present. Regulations to prevent misleading marketing and labeling of electronic cigarettes is also important.

Other considerations include the use of flavorings, which have been banned in tobacco cigarettes, and the perception that electronic cigarettes are less harmful, less addictive, and more attractive than traditional cigarettes, especially when it comes to adolescents who would otherwise not be interested in inhaling nicotine. Until we have a sense of how the public will actually use the product we must carefully and continually monitor this emerging health issue.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/08/20/the-ambiguous-allure-of-the-e-cig/research-and-regulation-of-e-cigarettes-is-a-must