Sadly the report completely dismisses sound scientific data about the potential of the products as smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction tools. On the contrary, it insists that most vapers are smokers, without bothering to question whether these dual users have actually cut down on the amount of cigarettes they consume and keep decreasing gradually.
An article on Spectator Australia highlights that the report also fails to consider crucial factors “NCEPH’s stark picture reflects the official government line on vaping, but leaves key questions unanswered:
- Why doesn’t it compare the relative risks of nicotine vaping to the obvious and logical commodity, tobacco cigarettes and their deadly chemical cocktail of tobacco smoke?
- Why does it presume Australia got it right on controlling nicotine vaping by imposing de facto bans, and why do sister countries Britain, Canada, and New Zealand, which see vaping as an integral part of their anti-smoking public policy strategies, have it wrong?”
Moreover, the paper blatantly opposes conclusions of more authoritative overseas bodies including the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), Public Health England, UK Cancer Research, Action on Smoking and Health, the Cochrane Collaboration, and the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, which agree that vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking.
Recent study confirmed that vapes helped Australian smokers quit smoking
Meanwhile, a recent study study published in the journal Addiction, confirmed that vaping helped Australian smokers quit smoking. Titled, “Effect of vaping on past-year smoking cessation success of Australians in 2019 – evidence from a national survey,” the study included 1,601 smokers and has found that using e-cigarettes to quit smoking increased the odds of success by 68%-124% compared to not vaping. In line with previous findings this data has shown once again that vaping is more effective in helping smokers quit.
Interestingly, the best results were observed in vapers who obtained e-liquids from foreign websites. While another curious finding revealed that using a smartphone app in combination with vaping, increased the odds of quitting by 74% compared to not using an app.
Discussing the study, renowned smoking cessation expert Dr. Colin Mendelsohn summarized some other findings. “Smokers who asked a doctor for help had a 12% lower quit rate compared to those who did not seek a doctor’s help. NRT users had a 25% reduced chance of quitting compared to those who did not use NRT. Those who used Quitline had a 50% reduction in quit rates.”
