Tobacco Regulation, Economics, and Public Health, Volume II: Clearing the Air on E-Cigarettes and Harm Reduction

Tobacco smoking remains a leading threat to global health. For millions, e-cigarettes provide a means to relieve nicotine cravings while avoiding harmful cigarette smoke. Yet e-cigarettes remain deeply controversial. Different priorities, values, and interpretations of available data have led to seemingly intractable disagreements between stakeholders about the promise of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation and the risks they pose to public health. E-cigarettes are not risk-free, but in response to regulations attempting to reduce the demand for e-cigarettes, increased consumption of more harmful substitutes including combustible tobacco have been documented. How, then, should e-cigarettes be regulated?

Adopting a social welfare-based approach drawing on economics, policy analysis and regulatory science, the authors explore how optimal e-cigarette policy might balance the risks and benefits of e-cigarettes. Risk-proportionate regulation can support smoking cessation while retaining consumer protections. The book provides insights for decision-makers at all levels who seek to think more clearly about e-cigarettes and the opportunity they provide for both harm reduction and tobacco control.