E-cigarettes: Safe to recommend to patients?
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes)--devices that generate a nicotine vapor that can be inhaled by the user in a fashion that mimics the experience of smoking--are increasing in popularity, and many people seem to view them as reasonable alternatives to nicotine replacement therapy to help them refrain from smoking. Physicians should not encourage such a view. E-cigarettes are unregulated nicotine delivery systems that have never been subjected to any kind of testing of safety or of efficacy as nicotine replacement therapy. Moreover, for young people who have never smoked, these devices could potentially serve as a gateway drug.
Staff Physician, Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA. E-mail: jerryj@ccf.org.|Assistant Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Jason M
JM
Jerry
Section Head, Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, and Holder, Endowed Chair in Alcohol and Drug Recovery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Gregory B
GB
Collins
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.|Clinical Assistant Professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
David
D
Streem
D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D012449:Safety