E-cigarettes benefit smokers’ health: report

E-cigarettes are likely to benefit a smoker’s health, a new report has concluded.

The British Royal College of Physicians report says e-cigarettes should be widely promoted as a substitute to smoking. The authors conclude that smokers can be reassured and encouraged to use the devices. Experts made a series of conclusions about the devices including E-cigarettes are not a “gateway to smoking”, use of e-cigarettes are used mostly by those who are already using, or have used, tobacco. There is no evidence that e-cigarettes result in normalisation of smoking; n The devices are beneficial in encouraging smokers to quit.

There is a possibility that the devices may result in some long-term harm because of the inhalation of the ingredients other than nicotine but the harm that could be caused is substantially smaller than that caused by smoking, the authors said.