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Will Banning E-Cigarettes Help Public Health—or Harm It?
As San Francisco cracks down on electronic cigarettes, experts are divided on the effects
Last month, in a controversial move, San Francisco became the first major city in the United States to ban the sale and distribution of electronic cigarettes. Some experts claim that e-cigs are healthier alternatives to conventional cigarettes and can help smokers quit. Others, though, say the proliferation of e-cigarettes is ensnaring a young generation — who likely wouldn’t have started smoking otherwise — in the grips of nicotine addiction.
It’s a classic public health conundrum: How should the medical community and legislators advise patients and protect the public when there’s mixed evidence on the potential harms of a given product? This is the central dilemma facing doctors, politicians, and parents as they struggle to contend with the relatively recent introduction of e-cigs.
San Francisco’s ban encompasses all sales within the city, including online sales, and lasts until the Food and Drug Administration introduces standards on e-cigs, which won’t occur until 2021 at the earliest. The law doesn’t explicitly prohibit e-cigarette use, nor does it make any adjustments to the current law around…
