Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Many Tobacco Control Organizations are Asserting that Quitting Smoking is Not Quitting Smoking if You Use E-Cigarettes to Quit

The American Lung Association has long been trumpeting the falsehood that quitting smoking by switching to electronic cigarettes isn't quitting smoking, a statement that is false on its face. The American Lung Association has been telling the public that "Switching Isn't Quitting." 

Can you imagine a public health organization telling people trying to get off of heroin that "Switching (to methadone) Isn't Quitting"? 

The Rest of the Story

Unfortunately, it is not just the American Lung Association that has been spreading this nonsensical, false, and dangerous rhetoric. Here is a list of other tobacco control groups that have made the same assertion.

Tobacco Education Clearinghouse of California

El Dorado County Public Health

DePaul University Office of Student Affairs

Fresno County Department of Public Health

North Dakota Department of Health

Butte County Health Department

California Tobacco Free Colleges

Kick It California

American Lung Association of Rhode Island

Cuesta College Student Health Services

Fargo Cass Public Health

Healthy UC Davis

Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance

Tobacco Free North Dakota

Shasta County Tobacco Education Coalition

Clearly, there is a major misinformation campaign going on within the tobacco control movement. Many of these groups are using false information to discourage smokers from quitting and entice ex-smokers to return to smoking.

No comments: