England’s Chief Medical Officer: continue encouraging smokers to switch to e-cigarettes because the

Sir Chris Whitty, England's Chief Medical Officer, wrote in The Times that marketing e-cigarettes to children is unacceptable—e-cigarettes should only play a role in helping smokers quit.

Here is the full text:

The key points about e-cigarettes can be easily summarized. If you smoke, e-cigarettes are safer; if you don’t smoke, don’t use e-cigarettes; marketing e-cigarettes to children is completely unacceptable.

In the UK, smoking is the leading cause of preventable diseases and deaths. Smoking significantly increases the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke, various cancers, dementia, and lung disease. It harms those around smokers, including children and unborn babies.

The tobacco industry's model has always been to get people addicted to nicotine as early as possible, often targeting teenagers. Once addicted, most smokers want to quit, but it is very difficult. Although some industry lobbyists claim to support choice, the deliberate addiction induced by the industry deprives them of that choice. Supporting nicotine addiction is opposing choice.

Helping smokers quit is one of the best things we can do for their health. Using e-cigarettes is an effective quitting tool for many addicted smokers, and considering the multiple and significant health risks of smoking, e-cigarettes are safer than smoking. Therefore, switching from smoking to e-cigarettes is a positive health move.

However, e-cigarettes are not without risks. We do not know the long-term effects of many e-cigarette ingredients, and companies deliberately inducing nicotine addiction for profit maximization is not in the interest of addicts. Therefore, non-smokers should be encouraged not to start using e-cigarettes, especially those containing nicotine and other ingredients primarily aimed at making them addicted.

When it comes to children, we should be particularly outspoken. It is shameful for companies to try to get children addicted for profit. However, this is undoubtedly happening. In England, from 2018 to 2021, the proportion of 11-15 year-olds using e-cigarettes increased from 6% to 9% and is still rising. Companies are marketing products specifically targeting children, using colors, flavors, and cheap disposable options, regardless of what they claim.

Unsafe and illegal e-cigarettes are also being pushed into our communities, with recent news showing they may contain hazardous chemicals like lead and nickel. High concentrations of inhaled lead can damage children's central nervous systems and brain development. Some products claim to be nicotine-free or contain harmful tetrahydrocannabinol chemicals.

The announcement to restrict the marketing of e-cigarette products to those under 18 is a very welcome step that can end some of the e-cigarette industry's harm to children. The government has launched a call for evidence on further opportunities to prevent children from using e-cigarettes, and I encourage those with evidence to submit it.

We should continue to encourage smokers to switch to e-cigarettes because of the lower risks while preventing the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes to children.