Within the U.S. public health community, the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), published by the American Public Health Association, is a leadership bellwether.
On August 19 2021 the AJPH published online an important article that may indicate a shift in the current tobacco war. Balancing Consideration of the Risks and Benefits of E-Cigarettes (https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306416) was also presented as a paper at the May 2021 E-Cigarette Summit: Science, Regulation and Public Health.
Electronic cigarettes have been in the marketplace for almost 20 years and current estimates are that worldwide users number close to 70 million. Many former cigarette smokers have benefitted from switching to electronic nicotine delivery systems. Nevertheless, during my short time working to help persons with behavioral health conditions reduce their smoking (see www.smokingandrecoverytoolkit.com) I have experienced tobacco control activists who assert that tobacco harm reduction (THR) was invented by big tobacco, that THR advocates are dupes, and that our efforts are a “sham”.
John de Miranda – Nicotine Science and Policy – 2021-08-25.