A new study claims e-cigarettes shouldn't be more regulated than traditional tobacco products and that while the health impact remains unclear, the electronic devices are likely safer than traditional tobacco cigarettes.
At the same time, a prominent government health official is warning that despite all the recent antismoking efforts and legislation to ban public smoking, the fight against tobacco use is nowhere near to ending.
In a blog post Dr. Howard Koh, assistant secretary for health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, uses a variety of statistics regarding smoking to make a case for ceasing tobacco use, noting 1,300 American die daily from tobacco use.
"For each of these deaths, another 30 people suffer from tobacco-related illnesses. At this rate, roughly two children in every third-grade American classroom today will die prematurely from smoking-related causes. That is 5.6 million of our children," he writes, adding, "this pointless loss of life must stop."
As he explains it, the Food and Drug Administration regulates tobacco products via the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and while dozens of agency efforts within and outside the federal government are working toward banning tobacco smoking products, it's a tough challenge given the billions tobacco makers use to advertise their products.
"The fight is far from over," he writes regarding the movement to get people to stop smoking.
In his blog, however, he doesn't make mention of e-cigarettes, a product that has been continually in the news headlines this year. The vapor device, which has the FDA's approval, is now under scrutiny by lawmakers and research teams as it may not be as safe as early reports and research indicated.
The latest study, conducted by a research team at the Queen Mary University of London and published in Addiction, claims the e-cigarette is much less harmful to smokers and those around smokers than traditional cigarettes.
"The evidence we currently have is clear: e-cigarettes should be allowed to compete against conventional cigarettes in the marketplace," said lead researcher Peter Hajek. "Health care professionals may advise smokers who are unwilling to cease nicotine use to switch to e-cigarettes. Smokers who have not managed to stop with current treatments may also benefit from switching to e-cigarettes."
If there is one thing for certain in the debate over e-cigarettes, it's that research reveals it won't be ending any time soon.
