Saturday, October 31, 2009

Zogby Poll Shows Public Support for Keeping Electronic Cigarettes Available as a Smoking Cessation Device

According to a Zogby poll, 65% of those who have an opinion about whether electronic cigarettes should remain available to people trying to quit smoking believe that these products should remain on the market. While 28% of adults had no opinion or were not sure, 47% answered "yes" and only 25% answered "no" to the question: "Do you think electronic cigarettes should be an option available to people trying to quit smoking, similar to the patches, gum, and lozenges currently on the market?"

According to Zogby International: "A strong majority of Americans want to see electronic cigarettes regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (59%), but nearly half (47%) say the smokeless devices should be an option available to people trying to quit smoking, similar to patches, gum and lozenges currently on the market, and that number increases to 57% among those who have heard about ecigarettes prior to taking the poll. ... In the hunt for a safer cigarette, electronic cigarettes, often referred to as e-cigarettes, are becoming a popular option among those either trying to quit or who are looking to replace standard tobacco smokes with an alternative that manufacturers claim to be safer. Ecigarettes vaporize a solution often containing nicotine, but there is no smoke, just odorless water vapor, and produce almost no dangerous carcinogens."

The Rest of the Story

To me, the most important finding is that among those who have heard of electronic cigarettes, 57% believe they should remain on the market as an option for smokers who may wish to try to quit.

What is sad is that the overwhelming majority of anti-smoking groups do not want these devices to remain on the market to help smokers quit. Such a policy would result in perhaps hundreds of thousands of ex-smokers returning to cigarette smoking, which would have tragic consequences in terms of disease and death.

It's nice to see that the American public has more good sense than these anti-smoking groups.

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