E-cigarettes show no significant quit-rate advantage over patches or placebo

Evidence

Anecdotal evidence that e-cigarettes help to wean smokers from traditional cigarettes requires verification with controlled clinical trials. In a randomized controlled study, Bullen and colleagues (2013) compared the success of different methods of helping smokers quit the habit. In a six-month evaluation, the quit rates were 7.3% for e-cigarettes, 5.89% for nicotine patches, and 4.1% for placebo e-cigarettes whose vapors contained no nicotine. These miniscule quit rates do not differ significantly from each other. Although the smokers wanted to quit, almost all of those in the e-cigarette condition apparently adopted a dual smoking pattern in which they smoked traditional cigarettes where they are permitted and e-cigarettes in places where the traditional ones are banned. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1728

Categorization

• SEED: Article angle: the ‘dual use’ finding — e-cigarettes as a situational smoking supplement rather than a cessation tool — is a quietly damning nuance often buried in harm-reduction debates.