A new study, published in the Lancet, evaluated the efficacy of electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation.  E-cigarettes are used to mitigate tobacco withdrawal and can be offered with nicotine.  Smokers hoping to quit have been using electronic cigarettes to help with the process, seemingly having an easier time than those who try to quit without easing off the addiction.

This study took place in Auckland, New Zealand, using a randomized, controlled trial with participants that wanted to quit smoking.  Participants were assigned to groups that used electronic cigarettes with nicotine, electronic cigarettes without nicotine as a placebo, and nicotine patches.  They were all also given the option for behavioral support through counseling.  Results showed that e-cigarettes with and without nicotine had statistically similar success in helping the individual quit smoking.

According to an analysis of the study in EurekAlert, this is the first research to evaluate e-cigarettes in comparison to nicotine patches.  However, this is only the first step in understanding the role of electronic cigarettes.  To date, research is lacking on long-term effects of e-cigarettes and their effectiveness.  An article in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine evaluated the need to regulate e-cigarettes as medicinal devices.  The current regulatory environment and treatment of electronic cigarettes is mixed and, without better research, will continue to remain uncertain.

Given the uncertainty about the public health risk, regulators are taking steps to prevent the use of electronic cigarettes.  France plans to expand its 2007 prohibition on smoking in public places to include using e-cigarettes, reports CBS News.  Additionally, according to 4 NBC Southern California, the California legislature is considering banning electronic cigarettes wherever smoking is banned.  Moreover, e-cigarettes are also being restricted privately.  For example, an earlier National Monitor article reports that Starbucks has banned smoking in their outdoor areas, which includes a ban on the use of e-cigarettes as well.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 43.8 million people in the U.S., or 19 percent of adults, smoke cigarettes.  The CDC also reports that nicotine dependence is the most common form of chemical dependence in the U.S.  Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S., accounting for 20 percent of all deaths.  The CDC encourages smoking cessation because it reduces the risk for cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, respiratory conditions, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and infertility.  Electronic cigarettes may prove useful in helping people quit smoking.