Are e-cigarettes an effective way to ease people off of
tobacco? Are they safe enough to avoid regulation? According
to the GWS News, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force has offered
their thoughts on the subject matter. E-cigarettes continue to gain in
popularity and take the place of conventional cigarettes, even though they’re
relatively new (since 2007). The task force comment that there was not enough
evidence to say for sure either way, but did note users to be cautious.
Shannon Hughes, director of Community Health Promotion
Division of the USPSTF, noted that smoking statistics may go up because of the
dramatic increase of youth e-cigarette consumers.
So what’s the best way to quit if not the e-cigarette route?
Studies have shown that a combination of behavioral intervention or
pharmacotherapies are the best.
One issue is that the sheer diversity of options for
e-liquids, such as the concentration of nicotine or presence of other chemicals
and additives, make it difficult for doctors to assess their safety or
effectiveness when it comes to quitting smoking.
More research is necessary to gather more data on the
benefits and harms of products. Using e-cigarettes as a cessation method has
become wildly popular by health advocates. The USPSTF recommends that
clinicians advise their patients to seek behavioral and pharmacotherapy routes.