US
A new poll out of Ohio shows that the anti-vaping groups, through their relentless campaign of deception about e-cigarettes, have completely undermined the public’s appreciation of the hazards of smoking.
The poll of approximately 800 adult Ohio residents conducted by the Ohio Health Issues Poll (OHIP), which is funded by Interact for Health, revealed that only 34% reported correctly that tobacco cigarettes are more hazardous than electronic cigarettes. The majority of adults – 66% – either did not know that cigarettes are more hazardous than e-cigarettes, thought that cigarettes are no more hazardous, or actually thought that cigarettes are safer than e-cigarettes. Barely 34% believed that e-cigarettes were safer than tobacco cigarettes.
Men (45%) were nearly twice as likely as women (23%) to say that e-cigarettes are safer than tobacco cigarettes. More than 5 in 10 adults ages 18-29 (55%) said e-cigarettes are safer than tobacco cigarettes. This compares with 3 in 10 adults ages 30 and older (30%) who said this.
The results are troubling to say the least. The false beliefs were particularly striking among women, among whom 77% did not believe that smoking was any more dangerous than vaping, and among African Americans, among whom 81% did not believe that smoking was more hazardous than vaping.
These data should serve as a wake-up call to the major anti-vaping organizations, including government health agencies such as the FDA, CDC, and state health departments, exposing their complicity in renormalizing smoking by undermining the public’s appreciation of its unique hazards.