Cancer Organizations Release Joint Statement On E-Cigarettes

The Los Angeles Times (1/9, Kaplan) “Science Now” blog reports, “Electronic cigarettes should be subject to the same taxes, marketing restrictions and limitations on public use as traditional tobacco products, according to new guidance” issued in a joint policy statement from the American Society for Clinical Oncology and the American Association for Cancer Research. The groups “acknowledged that e-cigarettes may improve public health by taking market share away from combustible tobacco products and helping smokers quit.”

However, “until the benefits are proved, the statement said, regulators shouldn’t distinguish between the two kinds of products.” The blog points out that CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden “and other health experts say they fear that e-cigarettes will entice more kids and teens to try smoking.”

Forbes (1/9) contributor Robert Glatter, MD, writes that ASCO President Peter Paul Yu, MD, said, “We are concerned that e-cigarettes may encourage nonsmokers, particularly children, to start smoking and develop nicotine addiction. While e-cigarettes may reduce smoking rates and attendant adverse health risks, we will not know for sure until these products are researched and regulated.” Dr. Yu added, “The FDA has signaled its willingness to regulate e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems, and we urge the agency to follow through on this intention.” The policy statement was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Related Links:

— “Cancer groups urge health officials to be tougher on e-cigarettes,” Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, January 8, 2015.

Posted in In The News.