In a press release published on December 6, the Académie de Médecine issued a much-needed corrective to the unfair confusion that has plagued vape products in recent months. Here it is:
The French National Academy of Medicine recalls the proven benefits and unduly alleged drawbacks of electronic cigarettes (vaporette)
Confidence in e-cigarettes has now been shaken by the observation of a sudden epidemic of lung pathologies localized in the United States, as well as by the report from the World Health Organization (WHO), which without argument describes e-cigarettes as "indisputably harmful". The position expressed by the Academy in 2015 advised guaranteeing product safety, declaring the substances present in e-liquids and, above all, banning their sale to minors, as well as advertising and use where smoking is prohibited. This is the case today in France, where electronic cigarettes are subject to quality and safety standards, unlike in the United States.
This crisis of confidence could lead to the death of thousands of smokers, while tobacco kills half of its faithful consumers. Don't confuse the harmful container with the toxicity of the contents.
The American epidemic of lung damage is due to a detour of its use because, after blaming vaping as such, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognize that this detour is the main cause of this epidemic, which affected almost 2,200 people in four months, with 42 deaths. We shouldn't accuse the container of being harmful, when it's the content that is actually harmful and responsible for the American alert.Vaporettes, which are less dangerous than cigarettes, help people to stop and reduce their tobacco consumption. 700,000 smokers have quit smoking thanks to vaporettes.
It's been established that vaporettes are less dangerous than cigarettes: As the French National Academy of Medicine pointed out back in 2015, it's therefore preferable for smokers to vape. Since 2016, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) has considered it "an aid to help smokers stop or reduce their tobacco consumption", sometimes better than other nicotine substitutes, as shown by a randomized trial. Santé Publique France reports that at least 700,000 smokers have quit smoking thanks to e-cigarettes. While concern in the USA is totally justified, this is not the case in France, where studies by Paris Sans Tabac show that overall nicotine consumption among young people - vaporette plus tobacco - is falling thanks to French and European regulations. The epidemic of misuse by young people reminds Americans that they have insufficiently regulated its use. This lack of regulation, like that of opioids, explains this crisis. In France, many smokers who were about to switch to vaporettes instead of tobacco should not hesitate, since the HAS has made vaporettes a useful and proven stop-smoking product.
The French National Academy of Medicine warns against making the wrong enemy!