In this video, Professor Robert West from University College London explains the hysteria and many myths that have developed around vaping nicotine. Via The Economist.

• The evidence does not support a 'youth epidemic' in the US. Most vaping is by young people who are already smokers. Use by non-smokers is rare and regular use by non-smokers is very rare
• The outbreak of lung disease in the US  known as EVALI is due to contaminated THC (cannabis) oils and has nothing to do with vaping nicotine
• We have conflated nicotine with cigarettes and nicotine has become 'the devil'. However it is really not causing the damage from smoking
• The claim that nicotine harms the developing brain is based on animal studies and is not borne out by centuries of nicotine use and epidemiological evidence, for example from snus use

Professor Robert West
Professor of Health Psychology and Director of Tobacco Studies
Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology & Health
University College London, UK
Editor of the journal, Addiction

Posted by Colin Mendelsohn, colin@athra.org.au

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