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Correcting the Public’s Perceptions of Nicotine Would Benefit Public Health Greatly

Yet another study has confirmed what tobacco harm reduction experts have been saying all along: by educating the public on the relative safety of nicotine, hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved.

Diane Caruana

August 15, 2024

The study titled “Modeling the population health impact of accurate and inaccurate perceptions of harm from nicotine” explores how misconceptions about nicotine affect public health. Of course, particularly so in the context of smoking cessation. Despite the available scientific evidence indicating that the harm from smoking primarily comes from the combustion of cigarettes rather than nicotine itself, many U.S. adults still mistakenly believe that nicotine causes cancer.

Naturally this misperception is a dangerous one, having a negative effect on public health by discouraging smokers from switching to safer nicotine alternatives like electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and smokeless tobacco (ST). Using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, the researchers employed an agent-based model to simulate how different perceptions of nicotine impact smoking cessation and the switch to non-combustible products.

The study analyzed how people’s beliefs about nicotine in relation to whether it causes cancer, and how this affected their likelihood of quitting smoking or switching to safer alternatives, ranging from “Definitely not” to “Definitely yes.” The findings were significant: individuals who correctly believed that nicotine does not cause cancer (“Definitely not”) had a higher switch rate (8.39%), potentially preventing nearly 800,000 premature deaths over 85 years. In contrast, those who incorrectly believed nicotine is the primary cause of smoking-related cancer (“Definitely yes”) had a lower switch rate (2.59%), potentially leading to 300,000 additional premature deaths.

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The study concluded that improving public understanding of nicotine’s role could greatly enhance public health by encouraging more smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives, thereby preventing premature deaths. The researchers advocate for public education campaigns to correct these harmful misconceptions about nicotine.

The use of vapes is consistently linked to smoking cessation

Meanwhile, recent research from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), revealed that in the past five years, nearly 3 million people in Great Britain have successfully quit smoking by using vapes. And while more than half of those who stopped smoking during this period used vapes as their primary cessation tool, in the North East, this figure is even higher, at almost 60%.

In the past five years, nearly 3 million people in Great Britain have successfully quit smoking by using vapes, and more than half of those who stopped smoking during this period used vapes as their primary cessation tool.

The survey also highlighted that 5.6 million adults in Britain currently vape, with 53% being former smokers, 39% still smoking, and 8% having never smoked. The findings reinforced the established view that vaping is an effective, less harmful alternative to smoking, and underscored once again the importance of having in place regulations which balance the promotion of vapes for quitting, while preventing teen vaping.

In line with the previous study, health experts reiterated the importance of continued education on the relative safety of vaping nicotine compared to smoking. They advocate for policies that leverage vaping’s potential to reduce smoking rates while managing its appeal to non-smokers, especially among the youth.

Positive data has also recently emerged from Quebec, Canada, where in 2023 7% of locals reported vaping, up from 4.1% in 2020, according to the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ). The 2023 Quebec Survey on Tobacco and Vaping Products, involving 12,000 participants aged 15 and older, revealed a decline in cigarette smoking as a result of the increase in vaping.

Among 18-24-year-olds, 22% vaped in 2023, up from 15% in 2020. Vaping also rose among 25-34-year-olds (12.4% from 5%) and 35-64-year-olds (4.3% from 2%). Only 1.1% of those 65 and older vaped in 2023. During the same period, cigarette smoking dropped to 11% in 2023 from 12% in 2020, with almost 70% of smokers doing so daily.

Half of recent vapers reported daily use, 23% vaped weekly, and 27% at least once in the past 30 days. About half of vapers intend to quit within six months, compared to 65% of smokers. Overall, 85% of Quebecers did not use cigarettes or vaping products in the 30 days before the survey, while 2.4% used both.

Nicotine is no more dangerous than caffeine is

Nicotine, like caffeine, is a stimulant that does not cause cancer or the severe health issues linked to smoking. Studies have shown that the primary harm from smoking comes from inhaling toxic substances produced by burning tobacco, not from nicotine itself. Educating the public about this distinction is crucial to combat widespread misconceptions. This understanding can encourage smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives, such as vaping, reducing smoking-related diseases and deaths. Public health campaigns should focus on spreading accurate information about nicotine to support harm reduction efforts.