Australian Health Minister Mark Butler has announced a major policy shift on vaping. Its two primary objectives are to make it harder for children and non-smokers to access vapes and to allow people trying to quit [tobacco] smoking to access nicotine vapes with a prescription.
Vapes are unquestionably popular, with many who vape saying they are trying to quit or cut down on cigarettes. “Recreational” vapers of any age with no interest in quitting will find themselves frozen out.
But can vapes actually help significant numbers of people quit smoking? The evidence suggests it’s unlikely.
Myth of the ‘Hardened Smokers’
First, let’s bust a widely believed myth. With smoking at an all-time low, some experts argue today’s smokers are die-hard addicts—frequently relapsing smokers who just can’t quit….