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"Cigarette" could appear in the term "e-cigarette" but it's as far as their similarities extend, reports a new Northwestern Medicine report published Friday, Sept. 28 in the newspaper Research on nicotine and tobacco. Assuming that e-cigarettes are equivalent to cigarettes, this could lead to erroneous research and policy initiatives, the paper says.
"Comparing cigarettes to electronic cigarettes can give us a misconception of the dangers that exist, because it takes us a long time to understand how people use them and how they can make them addicted," said lead author Matthew Olonoff. . student at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. "Before we begin to change our policies, such as nicotine control or aroma options in electronic cigarettes, we need to better understand the role of these unique features."
The commentary distills articles and published studies comparing electronic cigarettes to cigarettes and highlights the importance of investigating electronic cigarettes as a unique nicotine delivery system. It was released less than a month after the US Food and Drug Administration said that young people were becoming an epidemic.
"There are enough key differences between cigarettes and these products, especially new generation devices, to show that there are not interchangeable nicotine delivery systems," Olonoff said.
The main differences between the products include:
- The amount of nicotine in e-cigarettes can vary considerably, which does not provide enough consistency for researchers who study the device and the behavior of smokers.
- The nicotine of electronic cigarettes is ingested by spraying a liquid.
- The ability to stop and restart electronic cigarettes allows much greater variability in intermittent use and nicotine dosage compared to a traditional cigarette.
- Marketing and technology for teens in e-cigarettes makes them more attractive than traditional cigarettes.
- Electronic cigarettes are allowed in areas where they are prohibited.
Teenagers are most at risk because the use and marketing of the electronic cigarette are rising.
"Teens could potentially become addicted to something dangerous and harmful to their health," Olonoff said. "The only way to know if this is true is to study electronic cigarettes as if they were their own device."
Research on electronic cigarettes should be very different from traditional cigarettes
"From the research point of view, when we call it a" cigarette ", we know how many puffs are usually in a cigarette, how people use it, how much nicotine it contains." Olonoff said. "Even though it contains the word" cigarette ", electronic cigarettes are not the same thing."
To address this inconsistency, the National Institute for Drug Abuse in March 2018 developed a standardized, research-specific electronic cigarette that researchers could purchase. The device allows each researcher to study the same electronic cigarette so that the chemical components (nicotine, formaldehyde, etc.) are consistent, just like the number of puffs that it takes for finish the electronic cigarette. Olonoff's commentary encourages researchers to use them to ensure the consistency of all research.
Define political initiatives to advance technology quickly
Electronic cigarettes have been commercially available since the mid-2000s, said Olonoff. Technology has progressed rapidly, making it almost impossible to set up updated political initiatives.
When introducing electronic cigarettes, marketing campaigns suggested that they could be used to limit their consumption. But years later, this claim is still unfounded, said Olonoff.
Teens and electronic cigarettes
The relative ease with which teens can use e-cigarettes – such as Juul selling an electronic cigarette that looks like a USB stick – could make young people think their devices are safe, Olonoff said.
"We have done so much to convince our youth that smoking and smoking are bad things and, overall, the campaign has been relatively successful when you look at how much smoking has gone down and has continued to decline," he said. Olonoff said. "If teens use the device and see it differently from other nicotine-based products, researchers should also adopt a different philosophical conviction."
Source of the story:
Material provided by Northwestern University. Original written by Kristin Samuelson. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
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