The WHO Report Confirms That Switching from Cigarettes to E-cigarettes Can Reduce Harm

In the electronic cigarette industry, it has been the focus of attention and controversy if e-cigarettes can really quit smoking or Does switching to e-cigarettes reduce harm. The World Health Organisation’s 2020 keynote report on e-cigarettes has already addressed these arguments that there is solid evidence that switching to e-cigarettes reduces harm.

Within reports, the WHO cites an assessment of e-cigarettes by the National Academies of Engineering and Medicine (NASEM). One of the hardest evidence is “the complete use of e-cigarettes as a replacement for cigarettes reduces the user’s exposure to a variety of toxic and carcinogenic substances produced by cigarette burning”.
There are plenty of evidences that “e-cigarette use can lead to nicotine dependence and E-cigarette smoke may increase the risk of some diseases in the long term, but the risk is lower than cigarettes. Therefore, Switching completely from cigarettes to e-cigarettes can improve the health of multiple organs in the body.”

However, the WHO noted that recent studies have shown that simultaneous use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes can lead to higher levels of oxidative stress and increased risks to cardiorespiratory health. Or that dual use is not recommended.

In addition to that, The WHO report also has recommendations for countries planning to regulate e-cigarettes. These include requiring e-cigarette companies to regulate distribution channels, including online sales, and strictly enforce minimum purchase with age laws policy

For instance, Britain has been following a smoke-free plan to phase out flammable cigarettes by 2030. They encourage smokers to quit smoking completely or switch to less risky nicotine delivery systems like e-cigarettes.

Ma Liang, a researcher at the National Institute of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, once commented that the absolute harm brought by smoke-free cigarettes is certainly the best choice. However, the harm brought by smoke-free cannot be achieved in the short term, it is better to start from reducing the harm caused by smoking realistically than to advocate the smoke-free ideal which is difficult to achieve in the short term. To encourage smokers to reduce the health risks is to have a good choice of smoking.