Research Shows E-Cigarettes Should Be Included in Options to Help Smokers Quit
Tobacco harm reduction (THR) products have proven to be an effective and accessible way for smokers to quit cigarettes. E-cigarettes are perhaps the most popular THR product, but clinicians are often hesitant to recommend them to patients. A July 30, 2026, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) article should lead to wider acceptance and availability of e-cigarettes by encouraging clinicians to include them in their recommendations to patients who want to stop smoking.
The JAMA article was written by an International Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Treatment Research Network working group. The group based its recommendations on evidence from clinical trials that found e-cigarettes are more effective at smoking cessation than other nicotine reduction therapies (NRTs) like gums, patches, and lozenges. According to the article, “a Cochrane living systematic review, updated monthly, shows high-quality evidence from 9 randomized clinical trials in 2,703 participants that vaping is more effective for helping people quit smoking than NRTs.” The article also noted that, “no trials to date have found evidence of serious harms from using nicotine e-cigarettes as a stop-smoking device.”
Citizens Against Government Waste has been following and promoting the benefits of THR products, including e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and other products, in reducing smoking since 2016. The JAMA article is a welcome step in e-cigarettes being more widely used by smokers who are trying to quit. While there has been progress in promoting THR products in 2026, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issuing its first marketing authorization of fruit flavored e-cigarette products on May 5, 2026, and the FDA granting a modified risk claim for 20 Zyn nicotine pouch products, lawmakers should continue to pursue policies that will allow for greater access to a variety of THR products.
E-cigarettes are indisputably an effective, less harmful alternative for smokers looking to transition away from cigarettes. The JAMA article should encourage more clinicians to include them with other harm reduction products in their recommendations to their patients who want to quit smoking.
