The Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin (BEH) of May 28 designated the electronic cigarette as the most widely used “smoking cessation aid”. A phenomenon confirmed by the 2017 Public Health France Barometer, published this Wednesday, June 26. In seven years, 700,000 French people would have quit smoking tobacco for at least six months thanks to thee-cigarette.
Towards a reduction or total cessation of tobacco
According to an additional analysis by the public agency carried out on 25,000 French people aged between 18 and 75, fans of “vaping” all have to do with tobacco. Half are made up of occasional or daily smokers, the other half of former cigarette consumers. Less than 1% has never smoked. However, this new practice is not always linked to a physical addiction, since 12% of e-cigarette users use nicotine-free liquids.
Its use would in fact allow “vapers” who remain smokers to reduce their consumption. On average, they now light nine cigarettes a day, compared to a pack before they drop. Corn “the health benefits of reducing smoking are limited compared to a full stop, since even a low consumption of cigarettes is very harmful “, write the authors of the report. In some cases, however, the electronic cigarette allows you to stop smoking altogether. Thus, the number of former tobacco addicts has doubled among vaping enthusiasts in three years.
A bad image with the public
For the first time, the bulletin of Public Health France also reports on the cessation of this new practice. Among the adults surveyed, 1.2% are both former smokers and former vapers. This means that 500,000 people have finally also given up electronic cigarettes. This one keeps a bad image near the public opinion. More than half of those polled consider that it is more harmful than a regular cigarette. 67% would like it to be banned in certain public places, such as schools or transport.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the American city of San Francisco has chosen a more drastic solution, by totally banning its sale. The measure was adopted unanimously by its city council on Tuesday, June 25. A first in the whole world. Through this decision, the city wants to fight against “impressive rise” vaping among young people, which has “significant consequences on public health”. In 2017, the city had for the same reasons banned the flavored liquid. A provision that could well extend to the entire territory.
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- Smoking cessation: 15 years to regain cardiovascular health
- What if all smokers switch to electronic cigarettes?
