Got a response from Michael D Warren of the Tennessee Department of Health! Dear Mr. Nance: Thank you for taking the time to write to us. Congratulations on being smoke-free for 871 days! What a tremendous accomplishment that will have a positive impact on your health as well as the health of those around you. As you know so well, quitting smoking is not easy but you have done it! One of our key values at the Tennessee Department of Health is that our activities (and our recommendations to the public) need to be rooted in the most current scientific evidence. Our stance on e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery devices is based on the best available evidence, which says that use of e-cigarettes may be as effective as other nicotine replacement strategies, but is not likely to be more effective and may actually encourage cigarette use in young people. The best overall summary of the studies to date (updated as recently as November 25th) is that “the role of e-cigarettes in smoking cessation treatment is unclear but trials are ongoing.” Therefore, we recommend caution in using e-cigarettes. For those, like yourself, who do quit smoking using e-cigarettes, that is good for everybody. For others, who begin smoking through use of e-cigarettes, the results are not desirable. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) rigorously evaluates new medical products (such as smoking cessation therapies) and considers the broad body of evidence in support of (or against) a particular product prior to approving that product for use in this country. This process helps ensure that medications are safe, effective, and actually do what their manufacturers claim they will do. At this time, the FDA has not approved e-cigarettes as a safe and effective method of nicotine replacement therapy. Congratulations again on being able to successfully quit smoking! You have made an excellent choice for your health and we applaud you and wish you continued success. Sincerely, Michael D. Warren, MD MPH FAAP Tennessee Department of Health Email: [email protected]
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:09:07 +0000
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