Smoking cessation or initiation: The paradox of vaping.

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the effectiveness of vaping as a smoking cessation aid and the potential risks associated with vaping that may lead to smoking initiation. The authors present evidence from various studies and reviews to support their arguments and provide recommendations for public health policy.

Key points:

* The evidence regarding vaping as a smoking cessation tool is inconsistent, but there is clear evidence that vaping is associated with a proliferation in the number of smokers, especially in youth.
* Early research has already shown harmful effects of vaping, and long-term effects are still unknown.
* Legalization with tight control of vaping products is needed to enable access for those attempting to quit smoking while ensuring e-cigarettes do not inadvertently attract non-smoking adolescents.
* Public health policy should create disincentives so young non-smokers are not lured into vaping and potentially smoking.
* Taxation, advertisement and flavour bans, and minimum age and online purchase restrictions are measures that can be taken to regulate vaping from a public health policy perspective.
* Vaping products should be subjected to the same regulatory standards as NRTs and sold in licensed stores to improve the safety standards and restrict access to adults.

Main message:
The text highlights the need for careful consideration of the potential benefits and risks associated with vaping as a smoking cessation aid. While vaping may be helpful for some smokers, the evidence suggests that it may also lead to smoking initiation, especially among youth. Therefore, public health policy should aim to legalize vaping with tight control measures to ensure that it is only accessible to adult smokers who are attempting to quit smoking and not to non-smoking adolescents. Taxation, advertisement and flavour bans, and minimum age and online purchase restrictions are some of the measures that can be taken to regulate vaping from a public health policy perspective. The text emphasizes the importance of balancing the potential benefits of vaping as a smoking cessation aid with the potential risks of creating a new generation of smokers.

Al-Hamdani M, Manly E. Smoking cessation or initiation: The paradox of vaping. Preventive medicine reports. 2021;22:101363. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101363