Abstract
The development of policies on vaping in health care organizations (HCOs) needs to be based on a solid understanding of science and a recognition of individual rights. It should also be seen in the broader public health context of innovative alternative nicotine delivery systems playing a key role in ending the immense devastation of combustible cigarettes. Opposition to vaping based on inaccurate and incomplete information, or fear of unlikely and avoidable hypothetical unintended consequences, will invariably cause great harm to individuals, impede rather than assist the attainment of public health objectives, and unnecessarily prolong the epidemic of cigarette-caused diseases.
Résumé
La formulation de politiques sur le vapotage dans les organismes de soins de santé (OSS) doit être fondée sur de solides connaissances scientifiques et sur la reconnaissance des droits individuels. Elle devrait également être vue dans le contexte général de la santé publique, où des innovations dans les dispositifs d’apport de nicotine peuvent jouer un rôle clé pour mettre fin aux dégâts immenses des cigarettes combustibles. L’opposition au vapotage fondée sur des données inexactes et incomplètes ou sur la peur d’hypothétiques conséquences imprévues, lesquelles sont improbables et évitables, causera invariablement de graves préjudices aux particuliers, entravera plutôt que de favoriser l’atteinte des objectifs de santé publique et prolongera inutilement l’épidémie de maladies causées par la cigarette.
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Sweanor, D.T. Smoking, vaping and public health: Time to be creative. Can J Public Health 106, e464–e466 (2015). https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.106.5389
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.106.5389