by Pippa Starr
10 March 2025
While people were on the edge of their seat listening for the next prediction on Cyclone Alfred's movements on Thursday 6 March at 7.45am, they broadcast what could only be described as a diatribe against vaping by John Pierce.
Claims made by Professor John Pierce of the University of California, San Diego, don't align with the substantial body of evidence supporting vaping as a smoking cessation tool. As public discourse on vaping intensifies, it’s crucial to distinguish fact from fiction, especially when misinformation risks undermining public health!
Professor Pierce claimed that vaping “prolongs both smoking and nicotine dependence.” Yet, this assertion ignores a wealth of research indicating the opposite. According to Public Health England (now OHID), vaping is one of the most effective methods for quitting smoking, particularly for those who have struggled with other approaches.
The NHS has reinforced this position, stating that “Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking and is one of the most effective tools for quitting”. Far from prolonging smoking, vaping offers an off-ramp for those addicted to cigarettes — a critical distinction that anti-vaping narratives often ignore.
While some dual-users (people who both vape and smoke) do exist, research shows this is often a transitional stage before they fully switch to vaping or quit altogether. Rather than condemning vaping as a crutch for addiction, policymakers should recognize its value as a harm reduction strategy that saves lives.
Professor Pierce also claimed that vaping is less effective than quitting cold turkey or using nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs), citing a supposed 5% lower success rate. This contradicts robust evidence that vaping is at least as effective as — and often superior to — other cessation tools.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) in England reported that vapers were more successful in quitting than those using NRT or going cold turkey. In fact, the effectiveness of vaping in aiding smokers has led to the UK’s innovative “swap to stop” initiative, which provides vapes to smokers as part of a national quit-smoking program.
Moreover, quitting “cold turkey” has historically had low success rates. For smokers who have repeatedly failed using NRT or behavioral interventions, vaping offers a viable and powerful alternative that aligns with evidence-based harm reduction strategies.
Professor Pierce's claim that vaping “maintains addiction” oversimplifies the issue. While nicotine is indeed addictive, the primary harm from smoking comes from the thousands of toxic chemicals released during combustion — not nicotine itself. As the Royal College of Physicians has stated, nicotine is “relatively benign” in the doses used in vaping products.
By reducing or eliminating these harmful by-products, vaping dramatically reduces the risk of smoking-related diseases like cancer, heart disease, and lung conditions. For smokers unable or unwilling to quit nicotine entirely, vaping offers a far safer alternative to cigarettes.
Professor Pierce’s assertion that “most vapers are young people” misleads the public. Youth vaping in Australia has declined and is around 4% of all daily vapers, the reality is that most regular vapers are current or former smokers (96%) who use e-cigarettes to reduce harm or quit smoking altogether.
Studies from Cancer Research UK and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) show that regular vaping among non-smoking youth remains in the minority. Most young people who vape are either experimenting or were already smokers.
The fear-mongering narrative that vaping will hook an entire generation on nicotine is not supported by the evidence.
Perhaps the most dangerous misinformation Professor Pierce was his claim that EVALI — the 2019 lung injury outbreak — was caused by nicotine vaping. This is false.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that EVALI was linked to illicit THC cartridges contaminated with vitamin E acetate, a harmful thickening agent. Legal nicotine vaping products were not the cause.
Scaremongering that links nicotine vaping to EVALI risks deterring smokers from switching to a safer alternative — an outcome that could have tragic consequences.
The global smoking epidemic continues to kill over 8 million people annually. While we must remain vigilant about youth access to vaping products, demonizing vaping itself undermines public health efforts to reduce smoking rates.
Vaping is not risk-free, no credible expert claims otherwise, but the Royal College of Physicians, NHS, and Cancer Research UK all agree that vaping is vastly safer than smoking. For smokers who have struggled to quit, vaping represents a vital lifeline that can prevent countless deaths.
By amplifying fear-based narratives, Professor Pierce’s comments risk deterring smokers from switching to a significantly less harmful alternative. Instead, we should focus on educating the public with evidence-based information and highlighting vaping’s role in reducing harm while ensuring regulations protect young people from inappropriate access.