Tobacco Asia 19
tive risks of different tobacco products. "These
three objectives are interconnected," Koplow
said. "And getting all three right simultaneously is
harder than it might seem."
For an agency that Koplow later acknowl-
edged had been reluctant even to use the term "to-
bacco harm reduction," the language was notable.
Correcting the message
Koplow traced some of today's confusion over
e-cigarettes to the dramatic rise in youth vaping
in 2018 and 2019 and to the e-cigarette or vaping
product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) out-
break, which was ultimately linked primarily to
vitamin E acetate in illicit THC vaping products.
The public health response to rising youth
use was understandable, he said, but it also left a
legacy. "One of the lasting effects of that period,
one we're still contending with, is a widespread
and deeply held misperception about what e-ciga-
rettes are, and what risks they pose for adults who
smoke," Koplow said.
He cited survey data showing that the share
of adults who correctly understood that FDA-
authorized e-cigarettes are generally less harmful
than cigarettes declined from about 51% in 2012
to less than 17% in 2022. "That is a striking re-
versal and a concerning departure from scientific
evidence," he said.
CTP is developing plans
to better inform adult
smokers and healthcare
professionals about
lower-risk alternatives,
Koplow said.
Credit: Direct Media
StockSnap
Complete cessation of tobacco use remains
the healthiest outcome, Koplow emphasized.
"That's our baseline, and it's unambiguous," he
said. "But for many adults who've tried to quit re-
peatedly and failed repeatedly, completely switch-
ing to a lower-risk, FDA-authorized tobacco
product can meaningfully reduce their exposure to
the toxic and cancer-causing chemicals that make
combusted cigarettes so deadly. That's not a com-
mercial claim. It's a scientific one."
