by Jacques Le Houezec
Michael Russell and Murray Jarvik, two pioneers of smoking-cessation research in the 1970s, would probably have welcomed the development of the electronic cigarette or “personal nicotine vaporizer.” Beyond serving as a temporary aid for people attempting to quit smoking cigarettes, such new nicotine-delivery systems could act as long-term alternatives to tobacco – making it possible to eliminate tobacco consumption almost entirely.
We have long known that people smoke for the nicotine, but die from the smoke. Indeed, the vast majority of cigarette-related diseases and deaths arise from the inhalation of tar particles and toxic gases, including carbon monoxide. Though nicotine replacement therapy has helped smokers quit, the cigarette habit remains pervasive in many countries.
The use of nicotine in noncombustible forms such as smokeless tobacco or personal nicotine vaporizers, would enable millions of current smokers to reduce considerably the harm that their nicotine consumption is doing to their health. In Sweden, the widespread use of snus – a smokeless tobacco product with a lower concentration of carcinogenic nitrosamines – has contributed to a dramatic decline in the incidence of lung cancer, to the world’s lowest levels.
The benefits of phasing out tobacco consumption could not be more compelling. That is why personal nicotine vaporizers should be actively promoted as an alternative to tobacco products, aided by endorsements from health authorities, tax advantages and support from the anti-smoking movement.
