More Studies Suggest That E-Cigs Help Smokers Quit
As the anti e-cigarette cabal comprised of the ‘usual suspects’ including power mad and cash hungry politicians, health advocacy groups seeking to remain relevant and their fellow travelers in ‘Big Pharma’ tries to tax/regulate/otherwise rein in their growing popularity they’ve conveniently ignored one of the primary reasons for their use: trying to quit smoking. They have to ignore this fact and especially in light of the fact that they’ve spent much of the past two decades shrieking about cigarette smoking. The anti-tobacco kooks repeatedly claimed that smoking is the worst thing a person can do for themselves and their fellow citizens and they should quit by any means necessary.
Apparently ‘any means necessary’ doesn’t include e-cigarettes. Anti e-cig types either ignore this important function or trot out a few favorable studies to try and invalidate their use as a smoking cessation aid. Unfortunately for them–and fortunately for freedom loving Americans–there’s a growing body of evidence that suggests that e-cigarettes are helpful in quitting smoking. There’s an interesting wrinkle in the studies that the anti-vaping kooks cite to discredit their use as an anti-smoking aid–these studies didn’t actually research real world smokers who were trying to quit.
The more recent studies focused on real world smokers using e-cigarettes to quit. A British study determined that e-cigarette users were 60% more likely to successfully kick the smoking habit than users of other over the counter methods (eg: nicotine patches and gum) or those who used nothing to assist them. At least five other studies are more cautiously optimistic but suggest that e-cigarette users are more likely to quit smoking and just as importantly not start again than smokers who use other methods or nothing at all.
The reality of the situation–the fact that e-cigarettes are so effective at helping people quit smoking might be the reason for the vitriol of the anti-vaping forces. The last thing any ‘advocate’ wants is to be made irrelevant so it’s a better career move to vilify e-cigarettes than it is to embrace them. Then there’s the ‘follow the money’ angle–‘Big tobacco’ is trying to get in the e-cigarette game and they want regulation to price smaller companies out of the market. ‘Big pharma’ certainly doesn’t want cheap, over the counter methods available that are more effective than expensive prescription drugs. They’ve both got plenty of money to distribute to advocacy groups, lobbyists and the politicians that they’ve bought at every level of our corrupt government.