World of Tobacco Harm Reduction

ACSH applauds John Tierney’s column in today’s Science section of The New York Times, in which he argues for the promotion of electronic cigarettes as a harm reduction method to reduce the tremendous toll of smoking in the U.S.

Tierney aptly points out that electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, may turn out to be a powerful and safe method of smoking cessation — if the entrenched opposition from government and public health groups fails to stifle the technology before it gains a foothold. E-cigarettes provide users with a dose of aerasolized nicotine — a vapor that does not require burning tobacco.