Ethics paper makes either-or contrast when total population health is the real e-cigarette concern
While it is true that there is concern over youth e-cigarette use because so many youth and young adults use them in the US (See for example: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/features/back-to-school/protecting-young-people-from-e-cigarettes/index.html?s_cid=OSH_email_E240&deliveryName=DM37701), the idea that health professionals are discarding harm reduction for youth dependency prevention is a false dichotomy. The overall concern is population health and both the short term and long term consequences of e-cigarettes are the real issue. We can see some consequences short term from EVALI and the long-term consequences for respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological health are also appearing (though the research is still incomplete). The idea that adult smokers can’t quit tobacco without e-cigarettes is false, and most health authorities are convinced by present research findings that e-cigarettes are a new harm being sold to the public based on addiction (of tobacco interests to profits).
Magalhaes M. Vaping restrictions: Is priority to the young justified? Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 11 September 2020; https://academic.oup.com/ntr/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ntr/ntaa175/5904252?redirectedFrom=fulltext
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Stephen Hamann
