Yet another study has shown that the “Path Hypothesis” is completely invalid. Yet this controversial hypothesis is still used in policy making.
Professor Jean-François Etter from the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, aimed to examine the validity of the pathway hypothesis. The study, titled “The pathway effect and e-cigarettes ,” was published in the journal Addiction.
Professor Etter said that studying the pathway hypothesis is difficult because many smokers use both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Furthermore, “it is difficult to prove that vaping leads to smoking when using both products, and in fact, smoking often leads to vaping,” the researcher said.
The study found that most current data show that smoking rates are declining, and that they are only increasing in places where vaping is strictly prohibited, rendering the pathway hypothesis completely unfounded. “The pathway hypothesis is completely inconsistent with declining youth smoking rates in developed vaping countries or rising teen smoking rates in states that have raised the maximum age for purchasing e-cigarettes ,” Professor Etter added, adding that most medical nicotine and smokeless tobacco do not have a pathway effect.
Making regulatory laws based on unrealistic assumptions
The researcher points out that although the “pathway hypothesis” is weak and lacks solid evidence, it is widely used in policy. Professor Etter concludes that making regulations based on this hypothesis would be counterproductive and have a major impact on public health.
Source: Diane Caruana - Vapingpost
Translated by: The Vape Club
