Nattira Medvedeva
Nattira Medvedeva, Associate Editor
Bans on e-cigarettes have been imposed in many countries, to varying degrees. Whether it’s indoor bans or prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to those aged under 18, or banning the sales, import, and use of e-cigarettes entirely, it seems that the two main reasons for the bans are to: 1) stop people from smoking, and 2) prevent those under the age of 18 from smoking.
If we carefully consider these two main reasons for e-cigarette bans, a question arises: would a ban really achieve these goals, or could it potentially backfire and have the opposite effect?
First things first before we go any further: let’s make it clear that we are not against regulations on e-cigarettes. Of course, there should be rules when it comes to quality and safety issues, and no one here is advocating selling these products to young people. But when e-cigarettes could potentially be an alternative with fewer harmful effects than conventional tobacco cigarettes, wouldn’t banning them actually be shooting ourselves in the foot? If people don’t have access to e-cigarettes, wouldn’t they simply continue to smoke conventional cigarettes? So, how would banning e-cigarette help reduce the number of smokers?
Then there’s the matter of banning flavors and lowering nicotine levels in e-cigarettes. A new study funded by the US National Institutes of Health suggests that doing so would actually cause people to vape less and smoke more cigarettes.
The study, led by Lauren Pacek, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, surveyed 240 young adults aged 18 to 29 who used both e-cigarettes and conventional tobacco cigarettes. The participants were asked what they would do: if the sale of flavored e-cigarettes were limited; if e-cigarettes didn’t contain nicotine; and if they couldn’t adjust the amount of nicotine or the temperature of the vapor.
The results were: 47% of the participants said they wouldn’t use e-cigs as often and would smoke more tobacco cigarettes if nicotine was not in e-cigarettes; 22% said they would use e-cigarettes less and smoke tobacco cigarettes more if the ability to customize e-cigarettes was no longer available; and 17% said they would do the same if e-cigarette flavors were limited to tobacco and menthol.
Fortunately, there is also a growing number of countries that have adopted (or are in the process of adopting) a less stringent stance on e-cigarettes and recognizing their potential benefits. While it may be true that e-cigarettes haven’t been in the market long enough for there to be enough scientific data to unequivocally state that e-cigs are a “safer” alternative, most reports, studies, and findings point toward the so-called new generation products as being a “safer” (not necessarily “safe”) alternative which may reduce traditional cigarette smoking.
Have governments been too quick to ban them?