What People Want to Know About E-Cigarettes

The conversation about e-cigarettes continues, with new research that suggests that more people are interested on how to acquire the nicotine delivery systems, rather than the health effects of the products, HealthDay report. The findings come as somewhat of a surprise, especially when you consider the fact that there has been a lot of talk recently as to whether or not e-cigarettes are effective for smoking cessation. The findings were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The researchers found that online users in the United States conducted around 8.5 million searches for info about e-cigarette on Google in 2014, according to the article. In 2015, the number of searches may have increased by 62 percent in 2015. The vast majority of searches were about how and where e-cigarettes can be purchased, and less about how to quit smoking or if the products were safe.

"One of the most surprising findings of this study was that searches for where to buy e-cigarettes outpaced searches about health concerns or smoking cessation," said study co-leader Rebecca Williams, a tobacco control expert at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "Despite what the media and e-cigarette industry might have you believe, there is little research evidence to support the notion that e-cigarettes are safe or an effective tool to help smokers quit. Given that, we think it's revealing that there were fewer searches about safety and cessation topics than about shopping."

In recent years, e-cigarettes have become increasingly popular among those in the addiction recovery community. While for most people e-cigs may be the safer alternative to traditional tobacco products, there is some research which suggests that nicotine use can increase one’s risk for relapse. On top of that, some of the liquids used in e-cigarettes actually contain alcohol, which may also be a risk factor for those working programs of recovery.