New E-Cigarette Laws Could Drive Some Users to Smoke More Cigarettes

According to a recent study conducted by Duke Health, there may be unintended consequences to efforts aimed at limiting the use of e-cigarettes among young people. Such efforts, led by the FDA and select cities, could actually drive some e-cigarette users to smoke more traditional tobacco cigarettes. The research, which surveyed 240 young adults from across the United States, suggests that current e-cigarette users may turn to tobacco cigarettes in order to satisfy their nicotine cravings. This affirms the complexity of the situation at hand – while e-cigarettes are believed to be less harmful than tobacco in many respects, including tar and carbon monoxide content – research now suggests that the availability of e-cigarettes may be encouraging smokers to engage in riskier behaviours. These findings provide further support for the need to explore alternative methods for nicotine cessation.