Public health benefits of e-cigarette use tend to outweigh the harms
The study, published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research , suggests that "recent claims by some scientists that e-cigarettes are likely to act as a gateway to the use of tobacco products are overstated," says the study's lead author, population scientist David Levy, PhD, a professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center . If used instead of smoking, e-cigarettes provide the potential to reduce harm and improve public health, Levy says. But they also have the potential to increase harm if youth who would not have otherwise smoked become cigarette smokers as a direct consequence of first trying e-cigarettes -- the so-called "gateway" hypothesis that has gained favor by some, he says. "Our study indicates that, considering a broad range of reasonable scenarios, e-cigarettes are likely to reduce cigarette smoking and not lead to offsetting increases in harm from the use of e-cigarettes and more deadly cigarettes," Levy says. ...