Can Vaping Help Smokers Quit? Survey Shows Americans Aren't Convinced

Do e-cigarettes help smokers quit? E-cigarette companies have been trying for years to rebrand them as a public health solution to the smoking problem, but a new survey from tobacco control advocates shows that most Americans aren't buying it, according to an article published by U.S.-based medical reporting organization statnews.

About 59 percent of Americans said they don't believe the tobacco industry is working to “be part of the solution” to reduce the health impacts of smoking, according to a survey of 1,200 people conducted by the Truth Initiative, which was shared only with STAT.

Juul, Vuse, Njoy and other e-cigarette makers have long insisted that despite concerns about the impact of their products on youth smoking rates, they remain an important tool to help adults quit.

It's not clear if that's true. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said in 2018 that switching completely from combustible cigarettes to e-cigarettes minimizes exposure to harmful chemicals, but they also found “limited evidence” for the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid.

Peer-reviewed research suggests that e-cigarettes are a useful smoking cessation tool and that this is beginning to happen. Major tobacco companies say they are conducting extensive research to test whether their products can be used for smoking cessation. E-cigarette companies are planning to submit those studies to the Food and Drug Administration by May, a date by which they must request formal approval from regulators to remain on the market.

The tobacco industry has also launched an aggressive public-relations campaign to rebrand itself to address high smoking rates. Company CEOs have been calling on the media to publicize the health benefits of their products and have publicly called on lawmakers not to over-regulate the industry. Philip Morris, maker of the vapor product IQOS, even launched a “smoke-free” media campaign earlier this year that included a song written by Wyclef Jean.

But a new survey suggests those efforts may not work.

In addition to those who don't believe in the industry's views, 77 percent said they have an “unfavorable” view of the e-cigarette industry, while 12 percent have an unfavorable view. That's just four percentage points greater than respondents' views of tobacco companies.

Fifty-five percent of respondents also believe that regulations on e-cigarette manufacturers are too weak.

One prominent e-cigarette advocate was not at all surprised by the results.

Gregory & middot; Conley, president of the American Electronic Cigarette Association, said pointed out that from the beginning, the e-cigarette industry and its adult consumers have been vilified by radical organizations and bureaucrats who believe that banning smoking is more important than helping adult smokers quit. Polls show that a majority of Americans still inaccurately believe that nicotine atomized products are responsible for recent illicit THC-related illnesses and deaths, so it's no surprise that similar numbers are negative about the industry.

Conley added that he hopes that by the time the FDA begins reviewing applications from e-cigarette companies, “public opinion will have caught up with the science. ”