Chris Bostic notes: "The e-cig controversy is complicated enough that I haven't truly taken a side"
https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/tobacco-80-q5-what-are-pros-and-cons-va...
Can anyone explain what are the biggest flashpoints of the debate? On what does everyone agree, and on what do they disagree?
I have done a google search using the terms "what is the main disagreement between supporters and defenders of e-cigarettes?" and found that most of the results in the top 20 were at least 2 years old and often 7 years old. For example there is a 1-hour video panel discussion from Harvard (2020) [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nWZwap29Rw ] with the introduction:
"Increasingly popular, vaping is hotly debated in healthcare and policymaking. On the one hand, advocates for e-cigarettes argue that they are a safer alternative to tobacco, which causes millions of deaths around the world every year. But with youth vaping rates skyrocketing, critics fear that a new generation is becoming addicted to nicotine, which is often found in vaping products and sometimes at higher concentrations, with little evidence for the devices’ long-term safety. Meanwhile, a spate of vaping-related illnesses and deaths has demonstrated how far the growth of vaping has outpaced regulation and research. While CDC scientists traced most of the deaths to an additive in black-market THC vaping cartridges, confusion persists over what products are safe for consumers. This Forum weighed the pros and cons of vaping from a public health and policy perspective, looking at both legal and illicit uses of vaping devices, and examined the impact of vaping-related illnesses on the future of e-cigarette regulation."
I look forward to hear more from Chris, Eduardo, Sian and other HIFA members. As we come towards the end of our discussion, what would you like HIFA members to take away?
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
