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Epidemics are terrible things, but few things can be worse than totally preventable ones that result from poor policy decisions. Cigarette smoking has long been a classic example. It still causes 37,000 Canadian deaths a year. That is almost one in every five deaths in our country.

Nicotine is the reason people use cigarettes – but it’s not what kills them. The human body is just not equipped to repeatedly inhale smoke without being at great risk of it causing cancers, heart and lung disease and other severe health consequences. Dealing with the epidemic of these diseases should be simple. Essentially, it comes down to four words: “It’s the smoke, stupid.”

Were smokers able to get the nicotine they need or want without smoking, this horrendous epidemic would virtually disappear. This is consistent with longstanding public health efforts to reduce risks from a huge range of activities. Consumers have been encouraged to switch to less hazardous ways of driving, home heating, working, sexual activity, eating, alcohol consumption, prescription drug use and a wide variety of other activities. But when it comes to our largest cause of preventable death, and one so very easily prevented, we see policy proposals that do the opposite. Surely Ontario can do better.

Smokers are more than willing to cooperate. A large majority say that they want to quit and a tremendous number try to quit on a regular basis. But quitting is tough – and most fail. Finally, they have powerful allies: the scientists and entrepreneurs who have brought forward a consumer-acceptable way to deliver the nicotine without the smoke. Increasing numbers are finding vaping a way out of cigarette dependence, as a visit to one of the now widespread vape shops will show. More will do so as products improve.