Tag: American Consumer Institute

  • Study: Vapes ‘Twice as Effective’ to Quit Smoking

    Study: Vapes ‘Twice as Effective’ to Quit Smoking

    The American Consumer Institute (ACI) unveiled a study that provides a pivotal analysis of the potential for tobacco harm reduction alternative products, such as vaping and modern oral, to significantly reduce smoking-related deaths across the United States.

    Key findings from the study entitled “Transition from Tobacco to Vaping: The Health Impacts by State” by ACI Senior Policy Analyst Justin Leventhal, include:

    • A potential reduction of nearly 300,000 smoking-related deaths annually if e-cigarettes replace traditional smoking nationwide.
    • An estimated four million lives could have been saved from 2010 to 2024, surpassing deaths from the Coronavirus by a factor of four.
    • State restrictions and regulatory barriers on vaping products have been identified as significant obstacles for smokers seeking to quit, thereby increasing the annual death toll from smoking-related diseases.
    • Removing regulatory barriers on vaping products would enable a smoother transition for smokers toward safer products or kicking the habit entirely, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives each year.

    “Evidence suggests that e-cigarettes are nearly twice as effective as traditional nicotine replacement therapies like gums and patches in aiding smoking cessation,” a press release states. “Despite this, recent years have seen an increase in regulations, taxes, and outright bans on vaping products, hindering the progress toward a smoke-free future.”

    ACI calls for policymakers to reconsider these restrictive measures and focus on harm-reduction strategies that offer a pragmatic approach to reducing smoking-related mortality rates. By embracing tobacco harm reduction products as viable alternatives to smoking, states can significantly lower healthcare costs and mortality rates associated with tobacco use.

  • Vapor Industry Overregulation Bad for Public Health

    Vapor Industry Overregulation Bad for Public Health

    A new report from the American Consumer Institute (ACI) highlights the dangers of overregulating e-cigarettes and vaping products. Co-authored by Steve Pociask and Liam Sigaud entitled “How Regulations Endanger the Public Health: A Review of the Evidence on E-Cigarette Risks and Benefits, and Policy Missteps”, the report investigates the empirical evidence surrounding the consumer risks and benefits of using e-cigarettes and vaping products compared to using combustible tobacco products.

    Credit: iQoncept

    The report finds that::

    • E-cigarettes and vaping products, while not totally safe, are significantly safer than smoking – 95% safer by some estimates;
    • Studies also show these products are twice as effective in getting smokers to quit than other nicotine-based smoking cessation treatments;
    • Excessive regulation of e-cigarettes and vapes not only ignores the prevailing scientific consensus on health risks, but they deter cigarette smokers from switching to safer alternatives and push vapers back to the pack; and
    • Therefore, overregulating these proven harm reduction products will have serious health consequences for millions of American consumers who smoke.

    “The overwhelming empirical research is clear and shows that federal, state, and local governments are in a misguided pursuit that eliminates a safer choice for smokers,” a release states. “This report provides much-needed clarity on an issue of profound importance for public health. As the authors note ‘informed by rigorous research, the U.S. can better chart a responsible course that encourages smokers to seek safer substitutes and quit, while protecting our youth from the dangers of tobacco products.’”