A major new study delivers compelling evidence to suggest that vaping does indeed help smokers quit using traditional cigarettes. This study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has the potential to reshape the climate of the vape industry in America as e-cigarettes are proving to be virtually twice as effective as nicotine gums and patches.
These studies are motivated largely by the fact that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death globally, taking the lives of almost six million people annually. Every year in the U.S. over half of all smokers will try to kick the habit and only a mere seven percent will succeed. Most experts will agree that the vapor from e-cigarettes is less harmful than cigarette smoke since it doesn’t contain the carcinogenic chemicals created when burning tobacco. The growth of the vape industry in the US is still hindered by negative media attention as well as government legislators.
The study monitored almost nine hundred middle-aged smokers, all randomly assigned to receive either an e-cigarette or nicotine replacement products of their choice such as gums, patches and lozenges. Participants assigned to the e-cigarette group received a small starter kit valued at $26, while the values of the products received by the other group averaged at about $159 for a three-month supply. In addition to receiving four weeks of anti-smoking counseling, participants also underwent chemical breath testing. After one year, 18% of e-cigarette users were smoke free, compared to 9.9% of participants using other products. It was also noted that 80% of the e-cigarette users were still using their devices
Healthcare authorities in America are still urging for more studies to be done regarding the safety profile of e-cigarettes. This study is a huge leap in the right direction for vaping in the United States. Studies like this impact how doctors and governments all over the world see e-cigarettes as alternatives to cigarette smoking. They help to establish a real foothold for e-cigarettes in the debates regarding smoking cessation and harm reduction. They also give the vape industry some much needed quantifiable data indicative of real results for real people.
Not all e-cigarettes are the same. The vaporizers that were used in this study were tank-based vaporizers. In the U.S., the vape market has been flooded with new devices with cartridges (pod devices) that utilize salt nicotine. These devices help users to quit using even smaller and less expensive products.
It is our hope that this study will pave the way in America to a future where your doctor can recommend you quit smoking cigarettes using electronic cigarettes.