Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Responds to U.S. Surgeon General’s Report Showing Lack of Evidence that E-Cigarettes Help with Smoking Cessation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, issued a new report that details helpful smoking cessation methods, but specifies that e-cigarettes haven't yet been proven to be effective for quitting combustible cigarettes. According to this report, the Surgeon General states that "the evidence is inadequate to infer that e-cigarettes, in general, increase smoking cessation." The Surgeon General also reminds the public that "it is particularly important to evaluate scientific evidence on the impact of e-cigarettes on adult smoking cessation in the current context of the high level of e-cigarette use by youth, which increased at unprecedented levels in recent years following the introduction of JUUL and other e-cigarettes shaped like USB flash drives."

"I applaud the Surgeon General in completing this report that sheds light on the confusion surrounding e-cigarettes and their ability to help adult smokers with cessation as we continue to combat the youth vaping epidemic," said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. "While the FDA has approved numerous treatments for smoking cessation, it has yet to approve e-cigarettes as one. Unfortunately, we continue to see e-cigarette companies perpetuate the myth that their products are safer than traditional cigarettes, yet no company has received approval to market them as such or label them as smoking cessation devices. If companies are committed to protecting our children from the health effects of e-cigarette use, they should prove their products' safety and receive approval from the FDA. Otherwise, the evidence does simply not exist. This report underscores the need for further Congressional and Administrative action to curb the devastating public health epidemic that has taken ahold of our nation's youth."

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