Dr. Dreak Yach, the head of Vitality Institute this week takes his position of influence seriously. He urged the health care providers to start encouraging their patients who are still using tobacco cigarettes to switch to electronic cigarettes. Yach believes electronic cigarettes are the only sure way to smoking cessation for many patients, especially those who are unsuccessful in quit attempts using other nicotine replacement therapy methods.
Dr. Yach is one of the key participants in public health policies making, and his previous works with WHO was helpful in forming the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. With vast knowledge about smoking and the risk it poses to smokers globally, he insists that electronic cigarettes are the solution that millions have been waiting for.
Yach said, "I think we are in a period where we have enough evidence showing that smokers can quit or reduce their exposure to tobacco cigarettes or other tobacco products, using the non combustible electronic cigarettes."
He went further to explain that new public health policies are supposed to focus on making things stiffer for tobacco cigarette companies, while promoting harm reduction methods like electronic cigarettes. However, he believes electronic cigarettes need some regulations, but not to an extent of killing the Vaping movement. Regulation therefore should aim at making electronic cigarettes reliable so that many smokers can fully benefit from them.
It is really a step in the right direction if the former WHO official is speaking out to support electronic cigarette use. It makes no sense to ban electronic cigarettes, while allowing the real thing to remain on the market. If anything, states and antismoking advocates should move in the opposite direction: shifting from extremely dangerous tobacco cigarettes to much lower risk non-tobacco cigarettes.
It is unfortunate that tobacco control movements have become seriously confused. They are protecting tobacco cigarette companies from completion, instead of allowing the public to use much safer products that do not contain any tobacco. With the help of public health professionals like Yach, the public can build momentum to keep the safe electronic cigarettes moving forward.