Opinion | UT should reverse campus ban on vaping

Dimitris Agrafiotis | Guest columnist

This August, UT-Knoxville will become a smoke-free campus. Students won’t be allowed to smoke in any manner or form anywhere on school property. The policy aims to create healthier environments for all students, but risks undermining long-term public health benefits by also banning vaping — an alternative to smoking, which research has shown to be 95 percent less harmful than traditional cigarettes and can help smokers quit.

The reality of smoking in our state is alarming. One in five Tennesseans still smoke regularly, higher than the national average of one in seven. This has far-reaching financial and public health consequences for all Tennesseans.

So while we applaud efforts to create a “smoke-free” campus, lumping vape products in with traditional cigarettes doesn’t make good sense. Vaping does not burn tobacco like traditional cigarettes; no smoke is produced, only vapor. Vaping also doesn’t produce the cancer-causing chemicals or elements that make smoking deadly, like carbon monoxide or tar.

If we want to improve our state’s health and reduce the amount of second-hand smoke, vaping should be part of the conversation.

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From our network of independent vape shop owners across the state, we hear story after story of lifelong smokers who tried and failed to quit, but finally found some relief through vaping. Most importantly, on such a vital public health issue, we should be evaluating these claims based on the science. So let’s take a look at the facts.

England’s public health agency found vaping is at least 95 percent less harmful than traditional smoking and is associated with improved quit success rates. As a result, the agency is working to correct misinformation about vaping and ensure smokers understand it is an option to help in cessation attempts.

John Newton, director of health improvement at Public Health England, said, “It would be tragic if thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of an e-cigarette are being put off due to false fears about their safety.”

Additionally, a newly released working paper affirms this message and found vaping does “create a path towards cessation.” The authors found vaping increases the probability of a quit attempt and reduces smoking.

While there is concern about minors taking up vaping, the best way to prevent youth from ever starting to smoke or vape is to control the point of sale. Our industry supports Food and Drug Administration actions to crack down on bad actors selling or marketing illegally to youth.

None of the 86 shops in our network have been cited for selling to minors because our products are intended for adult smokers only. The FDA must continue to focus on enforcing the laws we have and make it clear that illegal sales to minors will not be tolerated.

But in creating new regulations, policymakers and public health professionals should consider all the evidence before removing an option that can help adult smokers quit for good.

Instead of spreading misinformation on vaping, we hope the university will reconsider its decision based on the science. We cannot afford to keep adult smokers from having access to all the information about less harmful products that may help them kick their deadly habit for good.

Dimitris Agrafiotis is executive director of the Tennessee Smoke Free Association.