a targeted approach to using e-cigarettes for harm reduction in adults.

Introduction:
This text discusses the potential benefits of using e-cigarettes (EC) as a harm reduction strategy for hard-to-treat populations of smokers who have failed to quit smoking using currently available treatments. The text also addresses the challenges in conducting research on EC due to negative perceptions and regulatory barriers. The authors argue that more research is needed to inform EC regulations and medical use, particularly in hard-to-treat populations.

Key Points:

* EC have the potential to serve as a harm reduction mechanism for hard-to-treat populations of smokers.
* More research is needed to inform EC regulations and medical use, particularly in hard-to-treat populations.
* The hostile EC research environment, including regulations that restrict research on EC as a smoking cessation aid, has made it difficult to conduct promising research.
* EC have been shown to be nearly twice as effective in helping people quit smoking compared to other nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), and have been associated with more persistent CC abstinence than approved pharmaceutical aids.
* EC switching is likely a more appealing and pragmatic approach compared to current smoking cessation pharmacotherapies.
* EC can help people reduce the harm of CC through reductions in number of cigarettes per day or quitting CC completely.
* Observational studies have found EC to be associated with sustained CC abstinence among the general population, but 75% to 100% of those reporting CC abstinence remained current EC users.

Main Message:
The text emphasizes the potential benefits of EC as a harm reduction strategy for hard-to-treat populations of smokers. however, the hostile EC research environment and regulatory barriers have made it difficult to conduct promising research. The authors argue that more research is needed to inform EC regulations and medical use, particularly in hard-to-treat populations. The text highlights the importance of balancing the risks and benefits of EC and encourages policy-makers, patients, and others involved in smoking treatment to consider the potential benefits of EC for harm reduction among current CC smokers.

Stevens ER, Sherman SE. a targeted approach to using e-cigarettes for harm reduction in adults. The american journal of drug and alcohol abuse. 2022;48(2):128-132. doi:10.1080/00952990.2021.2007938