Report shows positive correlation between e-cigarette use and smoking cessation rates in the UK

Recently, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), an authoritative international medical organization, released its latest report, "A Review of the Evidence for E-Cigarette Harm Reduction". According to the report, there is solid evidence that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes, and the evidence confirming that e-cigarettes can be used to quit smoking is becoming more and more compelling, and that public health organizations should promote e-cigarettes to smokers based on scientific facts.

Founded in 1518, the RCP is the oldest medical school in the UK and has provided medical advice to the UK government on numerous occasions. In a 2021 report to the UK government titled Smoking and health 2021: is the era of tobacco control upon us? the RCP had emphasized the potential of e-cigarettes as an aid to quitting smoking (Quitting Tobacco). In this report, "quitting smoking with e-cigarettes" is the central keyword.

According to the report, there is high-quality research evidence that e-cigarettes can be used to quit smoking and are more effective than nicotine replacement therapy, which is commonly used in hospitals. Smokers are more willing to accept e-cigarettes than other smoking cessation methods, and even if smokers without a smoking cessation program switch to e-cigarettes, the amount of cigarettes they use each day will gradually decrease.

The data shows that the increase in e-cigarette use in the UK is positively correlated with the increase in the UK's smoking cessation success rate, and that e-cigarettes have become the most commonly used smoking cessation aid for UK smokers with the highest success rate.

The report also provides a detailed comparison of the harms of cigarettes and e-cigarettes, finding that e-cigarette users have significantly lower levels of toxicants (e.g., carbon monoxide, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, etc.) in their bodies than smokers, and that some of the inflammatory markers are virtually identical to those of non-smokers. The authors point out in the report that e-cigarettes are less harmful without a doubt, and that smokers switching to e-cigarettes can effectively reduce the incidence of lung cancer and other diseases and mortality.

Data shows that more and more UK smokers are successfully quitting through e-cigarettes. After only a few weeks of quitting, smokers' lung function levels have improved by 10%, and the risk of heart disease and other diseases has been significantly reduced. Quitting also saves each smoker around £2,000 a year, which in deprived areas means that local consumption levels will be effectively increased.

But there are still many smokers who have yet to see the benefits of e-cigarettes. "Misinformation online has led them to misunderstand e-cigarettes. It is very important that public health agencies should act to give them the opportunity to recognize e-cigarettes, and especially to correctly recognize that e-cigarettes can be used for smoking cessation and are less harmful." The authors wrote in the report.

How can prejudice be changed? The report offers several suggestions, including printing harm-reduction information on product packaging, having doctors at smoking cessation clinics recommend e-cigarettes to their smoker patients, strengthening relevant research to provide supporting data, and cracking down on illegal products. "The circulation of illicit products not only prejudices the public against regular products, but also endangers minors. There are signs that sales of illicit products are growing in the UK." The report states that regulators should target the supply chain of illegal products for crackdowns as the best approach.

Cigarettes are seriously harmful, and quitting is incredibly difficult. Based on the current situation of smokers in the UK, the RCP believes that a gentle harm reduction program makes more sense than blanket tobacco control. "Smokers need help and scientific evidence shows that e-cigarettes are an effective tool to help smokers quit. Public health organizations should promote e-cigarettes to smokers without attracting non-smokers to prevent their situation from worsening."