Clearing the air on the harms of e-cigarette sales and use

The rampant proliferation of e-cigarettes in communities across the nation exemplifies both a public health emergency and an opportunity to re-educate the public on misinformation from an industry selling an untested product.  In San Francisco, the Tobacco Free Coalition and affiliated partner groups tracked the increase of e-cigarette retailers from none in 2009 to over 351 in early 2014.  The rapid acceleration of sale, marketing, and use of the product has been matched with a dearth of research and very limited public health messaging on the matter.

Youth advocates in the community conducted a survey of young people to determine youth perceptions, use rates, and possible impacts on youth nicotine addiction.  Data was additionally collected from a variety of sectors- police, businesses, schools, hospitals, researchers, colleges, and cessation programs to examine the unregulated utilization of these products and often unfounded assumptions of their harmlessness.

The San Francisco Tobacco Free Coalition combined what is known about e-cigarettes with a concern that e-cigarette use is quickly undermining a long-established non-smoking norm in the community.  The increased visibility of cigarette-like products is likely to lead to a re-normalization of smoking in the next generation.  Public confusion about whether e-cigarettes are socially accepted as a healthy alternative to cigarettes also makes enforcement of existing smoking laws murky.  These concerns led to local public policy action to create a dialog and ensure that public health determines the future of e-cigarettes rather than the companies selling the product.