The role of vaping is increasingly recognized. From the trend of choosing to use by today's young generation with good awareness, through the pilot period of some developed countries, vaping is gradually being proven to be highly effective in its role: an effective method to support the replacement of cigarettes. Towards a potential tool in the process of reducing the harm of traditional cigarettes.
I. The choice of the young generation (genZ/18+)
The age group 18-26 today belongs to generation GenZ
During the period of life when we start leaving school and integrating into a rapidly changing economic society, the pressure to succeed early becomes increasingly heavy, making the need for mental relief, in the fastest and most convenient way possible, a legitimate need.
The first generation of humans to grow up in the context of a technology boom, when the internet was popular, familiarity with social networks helped GenZ become pure netizens in a natural way. The media at this time helped make awareness of the dangers of traditional cigarettes clearer. Vaping became a healthier alternative to smoking, young people today are inclined to choose vape, instead of traditional cigarettes.
Not only is it a personal choice, vaping has also become a widespread social activity. Many young people, in addition to liking it, always have the need to share it with friends and introduce it to relatives who still smoke. Vaping has suddenly become a new way for people to connect with each other, and certainly, it has become a part of the culture of today's young generation.
A completely new personal product, bringing new experiences that humans inherently crave. The variety of flavors when vaping is also a factor that young people seek, through this new aspect, expressing their own choices.
II. The use of e-cigarettes is recognized as a way to support smoking cessation in adults.
a. First noted as an alternative to smoking
Kenneth Warner, dean emeritus and professor emeritus of the Avedis Donabedian College of Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said there is enough evidence to support the use of e-cigarettes as an aid to smoking cessation in adults.
Read more at the source:
Kenneth Warner and co-authors of the study, including: Neal Benowitz of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco; Ann McNeill of the National Addiction Center, King's College London, UK; and Nancy Rigotti of the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. Published their study on February 13, 2023, titled: "Nicotine e-cigarettes as a tool for smoking cessation."
The following text is an excerpt from the study. To read the full text, visit: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02201-7.epdf
As e-cigarettes exploded in the US, sales of traditional cigarettes declined rapidly. Conversely, as e-cigarette sales declined under the impact of regulations, the decline in sales of traditional cigarettes slowed. The logic of this economic model provides compelling evidence: “Cigarettes and e-cigarettes are substitutes for each other.”
Policies aimed at restricting e-cigarettes have inadvertently increased smoking of traditional cigarettes. Minnesota’s e-cigarette tax was associated with increased cigarette smoking and decreased smoking cessation rates among adults. Studies of youth responses to e-cigarette taxes have similarly found that, although taxes reduced e-cigarette use, they increased the use of combustible tobacco products, specifically: increased regular smoking.
b. Much less toxic
While e-cigarette use is not harmless, both the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and an independent review commissioned by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, have concluded that e-cigarette use may be less harmful than smoking.
Adults with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
Switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes reduces symptoms and improves lung function, suggesting that harm is reduced.
c. Guidance from health organizations and government agencies for traditional tobacco users in some developed countries.
USA and Canada
People looking for a smoking cessation aid should first use products that have been medically approved as safe and effective smoking cessation aids. These include nicotine replacement products, varenicline and bupropion.
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Individuals who are unable to quit smoking with government-approved medications should discuss with their health care professional the risks and benefits of using e-cigarettes to reduce the health risks associated with smoking.
Healthcare professionals and professional organizations vary in their comfort or willingness to recommend e-cigarettes to smokers. Many healthcare professionals will initiate the conversation and recommend e-cigarettes to selected smokers.
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US healthcare professionals should be aware that the US FDA has authorized the marketing of several brands of e-cigarettes as consumer products on the grounds that their public health benefits outweigh their harms. This suggests that the FDA believes that some e-cigarettes will help a small group of people quit smoking who would not otherwise do so. However, the FDA has not approved any e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation medication.
UK and New Zealand
Patients wishing to quit smoking should have access to a range of product options including e-cigarettes, some licensed medicines and behavioural support programmes.
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Health care professionals should provide clear, consistent, and up-to-date information about nicotine-containing e-cigarettes to adults interested in using them to quit smoking and advise patients on how to use e-cigarettes.
Australia
E-cigarettes are not considered a first-line treatment for smoking cessation. Individuals who have tried to quit smoking with approved medications without success should talk to their doctor about whether e-cigarettes containing nicotine are an appropriate option. Doctors may prescribe e-cigarettes containing nicotine for patients who smoke.
Excerpt from the report: Nicotine e-cigarettes as a tool for smoking cessation page 520
III. Conclusion
The effectiveness of vaping has a positive impact on the community, after a period of implementation in some developed countries, is gradually being recognized by prestigious organizations, through specific survey numbers. The publication in Kenneth Warner's research when relating to the trend in the choice of young people reflects the choice of vaping in the current context comes from many correct motivations, and is not random. Hopefully in the future, the controversies of the past will become clearer, through records from increasingly reputable sources, vaping will gradually affirm its role as a product serving the right personal needs.
