Australian experts urge the use of vapes in cancer prevention

With the increasing research and recognition of the harm reduction benefits of vapes, prominent Australian doctors have recently stated that switching from smoking to vapes is the most effective way to quit smoking. Meanwhile, the US Surgeon General has launched an initiative to reduce health misinformation, and multiple US universities have jointly written a letter calling on the CDC to redefine vapes to reduce media and public misconceptions about them.

Dr. Colin Mendelsohn, a well-known Australian general practitioner and anti-smoking researcher, has reaffirmed the effectiveness of vapes in smoking cessation. As a staunch advocate for smoking cessation, Dr. Mendelsohn has even written a book recommending smoking cessation methods. In his book, Stop Smoking Start Vaping: The Healthy Truth About Vaping, Dr. Mendelsohn mentioned that the risk of developing cancer from smoking is 200 times greater than that from using vapes. In addition, Dr. Mendelsohn’s latest article analyzed data and found that in countries that support vapes, smoking cessation rates have increased by 2 to 3 times, and the number of smokers has significantly decreased.

Dr. Mendelsohn believes that the Australian cancer organization needs to reevaluate its position and, like the health organizations in the UK and New Zealand, include vapes in all smoking cessation treatments.

Public concerns about vapes stem from some erroneous propaganda by the media and health organizations. A recent joint editorial article titled “United States Public Health Officials Need To Correct E-cigarette Health Misinformation” by Harvard University, Georgetown University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Penn State University, and others pointed out that the CDC can distinguish vapes containing only nicotine from those containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as only the latter can cause lung damage related to e-cigarette or product use.

The article explains the source of the term EVALI disease, which is a lung disease that caused severe illness and premature death in many people in North America from 2019 to 2020. It was initially labeled as “vaping-associated pulmonary injury” (VAPI), but “e-cigarette” was later added to the title by the CDC and was never modified. This further influenced news reports and distorted consumers’ risk perception of nicotine vapes.

Professional organizations lack a rigorous definition of vapes, and unclear guidelines have caused confusion among the public about their risks. Therefore, the article suggests that the CDC and public health officials redefine vapes and acknowledge the erroneous propaganda caused by unreasonable causality and insufficient evidence. Only then can public health develop in the long term.