Experts from the American Heart Association (AHA) have issued a new opinion on the electronic cigarette and the measures to be taken for this increasingly consumed product.
The e-cigarette has established itself in public life and at the heart of a public health debate on nicotine addiction and smoking cessation. It is difficult to escape the controversies over the advantages and disadvantages of this vapor cigarette.
The association issues a fairly critical opinion on the e-cigarette and recommends several public health actions concerning this product.
“We are fiercely committed to preventing the tobacco industry from recreating a new form of addiction in a new generation of smokers,” says Dr. Nancy Brown, President of the American Heart Association. Among its recommendations, the AHA recommends:
A ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors
The e-cigarette has a positive image among young people. To prevent the spread of smoking among young people, electronic cigarettes should not be sold to them.
An obligation to remove flavors from e-cigarettes
As with traditional cigarettes, researchers recommend that flavors be banned for electronic cigarettes. A new European directive, which entered into force on May 19, now requires manufacturers to give the taste and appearance of tobacco to all cigarettes. The reason ? Reduce the number of new smokers, especially among teenagers. Because the flavors sweet (like vanilla, chocolate, or, more exotic, cotton candy or caramel) tend to attract the youngest and make them forget the danger of tobacco …
Legislation in public places
When it comes to passive smoking, the experts at the AHA are categorical. Classic or electronic cigarettes even fight. They have no place in public places.
Limited use in smoking cessation
“The lack of evidence establishing e-cigarettes as an aid to weaning, even if some studies suggest that e-cigarettes do slightly better than the patch, leads us to recommend classic and so-called “proven” nicotine substitutes as the first line of treatment, however, does not reject recourse, as a last resort, to e- cigarette, in a patient who has failed on other methods of withdrawal ”recalls the AHA researchers in its opinion.
“Nicotine is a dangerous and highly addictive chemical, no matter what form it takes. We must protect future generations from all fumes to make our environment 100% smoke-free,” the AHA researchers concluded.
the smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in France. It is responsible for 73,000 deaths per year. At 17, one in three young people smoke regularly.
