Experts from multiple countries: e-cigarettes are less harmful than combustible cigarettes, stop spr

Recently, public health experts from the UK, US, and Australia pointed out in their jointly authored new book, E-Cigarettes and the Comparative Politics of Harm Reduction, that e-cigarettes have significant harm reduction effects. However, not all countries support e-cigarettes based on scientific evidence like the UK does. Public health agencies in the US and Australia have even discredited e-cigarettes for specific purposes, misleading public judgment.

The harm of e-cigarettes is recognized as less than that of combustible cigarettes, which has become a scientific consensus in the global public health community. However, there are still differences among governments regarding regulation. For example, the UK government promotes e-cigarettes to smokers based on regulatory foundations, while the US allows e-cigarette sales only after approval from the FDA, and Australia sells e-cigarettes as prescription drugs in pharmacies.

The authors believe that the key reason for the different regulatory policies in these three countries is the different “target audiences.” The UK promotes e-cigarettes to serve smokers. The World Health Organization's official website states that quitting tobacco is the goal, as nicotine is not carcinogenic; the real harm from combustible cigarettes comes from the over 4,000 chemicals and 69 carcinogens produced by burning tobacco. E-cigarettes do not contain the harmful substances from tobacco combustion, reducing the harm of combustible cigarettes by 95% and significantly increasing the success rate of smoking cessation.

“The UK government's smoking control policy truly serves adult smokers,” wrote Virginia Berridge, the first author of the book and a well-known public health expert in the UK. In contrast, the smoking control policies in the US and Australia focus more on serving minors. To reduce the appeal of e-cigarettes to minors, relevant departments continuously exaggerate the harms of e-cigarettes, leading many smokers to develop negative impressions of e-cigarettes and miss harm reduction opportunities.

In fact, protecting minors and helping smokers do not conflict. Cliff Douglas, former vice president of tobacco control at the American Cancer Society, pointed out in a public speech that protecting youth and supporting adult smokers in quitting can and must be achieved simultaneously. Cheryl Healton, a professor at NYU's Global Public Health School, also emphasized in a concurrent speech that smokers have the right to choose harm reduction options that suit them.

However, the government's stance is difficult to change. The book mentions that in the UK, based on the position of serving smokers, public health agencies actively promote scientific evidence about e-cigarettes. In contrast, public health agencies in the US and Australia have organized a “terror campaign” against e-cigarettes. Even if a few public health experts stand up to support e-cigarettes, they are often discredited and seen as having taken money from e-cigarette companies.

Moreover, the formulation of smoking control policies is also related to various factors such as a country's history, politics, and industry interests. “There was once a tobacco company that launched low-tar cigarettes, but later studies confirmed that these products had little harm reduction effect. This has made many countries wary of harm reduction strategies,” the authors emphasize. E-cigarettes are different from low-tar cigarettes; their harm reduction effects have been confirmed by extensive research.

In April 2023, the UK government launched the world's first “switch to e-cigarettes before quitting” program, aiming to increase the success rate of quitting smoking by providing free e-cigarettes to one million British smokers. The authors point out in the book that the UK is paving a more rational new path for smoking control than other countries, which will inspire the US, Australia, and others to abandon outdated concepts and re-examine e-cigarettes.