Global health juggernaut, The American Cancer Society, has finally weighed in on the vape debate. Siding with proponents, advocates, and many other international health organizations in recent weeks.
“Adult smokers who can’t quit [smoking] or use approved cessation methods should be encouraged to switch to electronic cigarettes.” – American Cancer Society
The statement and new policy, enacted this month, can potentially carry some hefty leverage over public opinion. And may influence health officials still on the fence about vaping and its health effects.
The Consumer Choice Center, a pro-vaping and “global grassroots movement for consumer choice,” wrote in a statement on Twitter this week, that the ACS announcement was “a step in the right direction.”
The fight against the demonization of vaping has been long and difficult for many in the industry. Media outlets and anti-vaping activists have been adamant in pushing for harsher restrictions and regulations for the now multiple health organization-backed smoking alternative. Lobbying for industry-crippling taxes and bans for vaping in social spaces. All while touting vaping as a “gateway” to tobacco and other potential drug use among youth.
But when we lay all the facts out on the table and analyze them, the evidence is irrefutable. Vaping is far less harmful that cigarettes. That statement is no longer solely a platform for vaping advocates. It’s an objective fact. Supported by science and many world renown global health organizations.
The ACS agrees there is still much research and work to do. Their statement included an entreaty to the FDA to “assess whether e-cigarettes help to reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, and the impact of marketing of e-cigarettes on consumer perceptions and behavior.” As well as encouragement for the federal agency to “regulate all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to the full extent of its authority, and to determine the absolute and relative harms of each product.”