According to the results of a new longitudinal study, using e-cigarettes and other tobacco products to prevent smoking relapse is not effective. Nearly 13,000 smokers in the United States participated in this research. It is the first study to report on whether cigarette smokers can switch to e-cigarettes and successfully quit using cigarettes. 

Use of E-Cigarettes to Prevent Smoking Relapse

“Quitting is the most important thing a smoker can do to improve their health,” explained study author John Pierce. “But the evidence indicates that switching to e-cigarettes made it less likely, not more likely, to stay off of cigarettes.” 

Specifically, the research found that 50 percent of former smokers who quit “cold turkey” were still non-smokers as of the second annual follow-up. Only 41.5 percent of former smokers who used an alternative form of tobacco in their quitting efforts found success. “Those who switched to e-cigarettes (or indeed another form of tobacco) were 8.5 percent more likely to relapse to cigarettes,” said Pierce, a professor of family medicine and public health at the UC San Diego Institute for Public Health.

The study did not consider the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), which is specifically designed to help people stop smoking. Those therapies include patches, gum, and lozenges that contain limited amounts of nicotine. 

Harmful History of Vaping

E-cigarettes are often used a nicotine alternative for smokers trying to quit. They work by using an often-flavored liquid called e-juice, which eventually vaporizes. Vaping eliminates the over 7,000 chemicals, including the toxic ones, that are found in a burning cigarette.

Vaping became popular for tobacco cessation after a study out of the United Kingdom found that e-cigarettes helped as many as 70,000 smokers in England quit smoking in 2017. However, their use is now controversial due to potential long-term health effects from chemicals in the vape juice or cartridge.

Additionally, multiple studies determined that teen vaping often leads to cigarette smoking. American youth also dealt with a serious outbreak of a vaping-related lung disease, now known as EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury), in 2019. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of February 2020, the illness had killed at least 68 people and sickened over 28,000 e-cigarette users. 

For more information about the investigation into e-cigarettes, contact us today.

Additional Reading:

Big Drop in Youth Vaping Thanks to COVID School Closures

FDA Authorizes Vuse Solo E-Cigarette, Shows Benefit for Smokers

FDA Requests More Time to Determine Ruling About E-Cigarettes

FDA Removes 55,000 Flavored Vaping Products From Market

While virtual learning during the pandemic has many drawbacks — social isolation and dependence on strong self-motivation, to start — it has at least one notable benefit. A recent government report, completed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), revealed that youth vaping dropped significantly last year.

Youth Vaping Statistics

Health officials ask that readers use caution as they look at the numbers. Outside experts, however, believe that the decrease is real and makes sense, given that vaping is often done socially. In the national survey, 11 percent of high school students and less than 3 percent of middle school students reported that they had recently used e-cigarettes. These numbers show a 40 percent drop from last year, when almost 20 percent of high schoolers and 5 percent of middle schoolers admitted to recently vaping.

“They found a dramatic drop from last year, and it’s hard to image that doesn’t represent a real decrease in use [among students],” said Dr. Nancy Rigotti of Harvard University, who was not involved in the research. The decline needs to be confirmed by other surveys this year. There is, of course, the fear that the numbers could increase again with many in-person classes back in session. 

If these results prove true, it would be the second big drop in a row. Reporting in 2019 resulted in a peak of 28 percent for high school students. 

New Federal Restrictions for Youth Vaping

Prior to the pandemic, government restrictions began to limit the underage use of e-cigarettes. Towards the end of 2019, the purchase age for all tobacco and vaping products changed from 18 to 21. Then, the FDA banned nearly all of the flavors for cartridge-based e-cigarettes, which first ignited the popularity of teen vaping. Additionally, some kids stopped using e-cigarettes after an uptick in vaping-related illnesses and deaths. Many of these health concerns were related to a filler in black market vaping liquids that contained THC. 

Despite this promising report, government officials believe that roughly two million U.S. teens and pre-teens are still vaping — a number that is much too high. “E-cigarette use among youth remains a serious public health concern,” said CDC specialist Dr. Karen Hacker. In an effort to combat this crisis, the FDA is expected to place even bigger limits on the vaping industry and remove more products from market.

For more information about the investigation into e-cigarettes, contact us today.

Additional Reading:

FDA Requests More Time to Determine Ruling About E-Cigarettes

FDA Removes 55,000 Flavored Vaping Products From Market

North Carolina Takes Legal Action Against JUUL

JUUL Labs Faces “Substantive Scientific Review” from the FDA

E-Cigarette, Vaping, and Juul Bans