E-Cigarettes and Public Health Policy Paper Example

Do you think e-cigarettes are a viable replacement for smoking?

The emergence of e-cigarettes was designed to help smokers to easily quit smoking or reduce the number of cigarettes that they smoke each day. E-cigarettes contain nicotine or other substances that are designed to replace the effects that one feels smoking the traditional cigarette. Apart from helping smokers quit the habit or reduce the number of cigarettes smoked, e-cigarettes are viewed to be a healthier alternative than the conventional cigarettes as they are believed to contain far lesser risks (Breazier, 2018). Based on the perceived benefits of e-cigarettes, the question of whether they are a viable replacement for smoking has arisen (Leonardi-Bee., Nderi & Britton, 2016). Many experts are strongly opposed to the idea of e-cigarettes replacing the conventional cigarettes but support the idea that they should be used as a way of helping smokers quit or manage their habit.

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The anticipated use of e-cigarettes is increasingly becoming elusive with young people using e-cigarettes as an alternative to traditional smoking (Leonardi-Bee., Nderi & Britton, 2016). To these young people, the e-cigarettes are just but a safer alternative. Studies have shown that the initial goals of introducing e-cigarettes have not been attained. The use of e-cigarettes or vaping as it is commonly known amongst the young people has been increasing in popularity. The use of e-cigarettes increased with over 900 percent between 2011 and 2016 amongst high school students. Out of this number, 40 percent had never smoked the traditional cigarettes and their first experience with smoking is by using e-cigarettes (Breazier, 2018). Such grim statistics attest to the fact that the initial goals of introducing e-cigarettes are far from being achieved. While the goal of introducing e-cigarettes was to help the existing smokers, the evidence is to the contrary in that the practice is encouraging a new breed of users who take to vaping for its own sake as opposed to the intended purpose.

How should public health policy reflect your stand?

There is strong evidence that shows the use of e-cigarettes is not without its own risks. First, the target group has been identified not to be using e-cigarettes in accordance with how it was designed to be used. E-cigarettes were designed to be a replacement and not a substitute for the traditional cigarettes. Studies have found that 58.8 percent of smokers who have taken to the use of e-cigarettes still continue smoking the traditional cigarettes (Breazier, 2018). Using the e-cigarettes in this way is contrary to the provisions given by Centre for Disease Control that state that using these types of cigarettes is only effective when it is used as a total replacement and not a substitute to the traditional cigarettes.

There is a need for enhanced public education on the use of e-cigarettes especially to the young people so as to prevent their abuse as it has been identified. It should be made clear that the use of e-cigarettes is not without its own health risks (Raloff, 2014). E-cigarettes, for example, contain nicotine which will have the same effects as smoking the traditional cigarettes. The liquid used as the inhalant in e-cigarettes can lead to poisoning if it is accidentally swallowed. The use of e-cigarettes has as well been associated with using traditional cigarettes for young people. In addition, other serious and irreversible conditions such as popcorn lungs can result from using e-cigarettes. The concerned authorities should control access to e-cigarettes to ensure that only the target group uses them.

References

Breazier, Y. (2018). Are e-cigarettes a safe alternative to smoking? Online resource, retrieved on 27th September 2018 from < https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/216550.php >

Leonardi-Bee, J., Nderi, M., & Britton, J. (2016). Smoking in movies and smoking initiation in adolescents: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Addiction, 111(10), 1750-1763. doi:10.1111/add.13418

Raloff, J. (2014). Health risks of e-cigarettes emerge. Science News, 185(13), 9-9.