Due to FDA information and media coverage, many Americans still believe that vaping is as harmful as traditional cigarettes. They think that vaping may cause several diseases that harm the healthiness of the body. Let’s look at vaping to see if it’s really that bad and then find the evidence behind these claims.
The New England Journal of Medicine published a year-long study on January 30 comparing e-cigarettes to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or traditional products. While the results are not surprising for those who switched to e-cigarettes, it is still critical. Eight hundred eighty-six randomly selected smokers who decided to quit participated in the study. One group received an e-cigarette starter kit with 18 mg e-liquid in a disposable device, and the other received a series of pharmaceutical NRT treatments.
Only 9% of those who used conventional nicotine replacement therapies could quit smoking, compared to 18% who leave smoking with vapor or e-cigarettes. It means that vaping is twice as effective as traditional nicotine replacement therapies.
The Rumors Behind Vaping
Many smokers fear that vaping is as harmful as traditional smoking. What is the reason? It is because of the media and government’s attitude towards vaping. You will be surprised at the amount of negative news you will find if you search for vaping information in any search engine. The headline is mainly about a story of vaping among children or a report about an incident where an e-cigarette exploded and seriously injured a user.
The U.S. government is very concerned about e-cigarettes’ popularity. It does so because they have agreed with all the big tobacco companies to share profits with them. It means that each state gets less money if sales go down. This agreement is called the Master Settlement Agreement. They are now trying to include e-cigarettes in the deal after seeing that vaping is becoming more popular even though they don’t support it. Let’s expect there is a change soon.
The Change in Vaping Direction
The Guardian reported in December 2018 that Public Health England believes vaping is 95% safer than traditional smoking. The government took this information and presented it to Parliament. They are now trying to convince smokers that vaping can be a safer alternative.
In the United States, however, things are very different. Here, the FDA’s “Real Cost” campaign takes center stage. Its purpose is to dissuade children from smoking. This clever tactic aims to divert attention away from the problem while promoting the negativity of vaping. It pleases the government and Big Tobacco.
The Types of Vaping
The popularity of vaping has grown over the past five years. Many manufacturers have launched different models, such as pen vaping, aimed at other smokers. Since it can be challenging to find the perfect electronic cigarette for you, you can get help from many websites when browsing about it. Smoketastic offers a section to help users choose between different types of electronic cigarettes. You can also find reviews and information. Nicholas King from Smoketastic shared that he believed that vaping is twice as effective as any other NRT product. However, if people were better informed about the different types of e-cigarettes and e-liquids, the success rate could be even higher. Therefore, the website also fills this knowledge gap to help more smokers quit smoking and find the right product.
It raises an important point. If the FDA and governments focused on the positive aspects of vaping and provided better information on how to quit smoking, the country could be healthier. The framework may take time to implement in all 50 states. The profits of the pharmaceutical companies that sponsor most of the studies go down with NRT solutions and fewer unhealthy smokers.
