New Anti-Vaping Ad Campaign Gets Blow Back

The safety of vaping is becoming an increasingly heated debate in the United States, and some are calling for a more honest discourse about the dangers and advantages of the smoking alternative. Notably, Director of California Department of Public Health and State Health Officer, Ron Chapman is catching a lot of flack for his recent anti-vaping ads.

There are a number of different studies emerging about the safety of vaping, but many of them are inconclusive and anecdotal at best. Chapman has taken things a step further by asserting that vaping is, yes, less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but is still is still harmful and unsafe.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Chapman announced a new campaign last week that seeks to warn residents of California against the dangers of vaping. The thing is, many arguments against vaping are misguided and are reported in a way that isn’t quite representative of the truth.

Forbes contributor Sally Satel, who commonly writes about issues where culture and medicine intersect, has a laundry list of reasons why Chapman’s campaign is misguided.

For example, Satal argues that Chapman pulls things out of context, like saying that e-cigarettes contain nicotine and the vapor that users inhale is actually rather an aerosol. The problem is that many vaping juices (the liquid that is converted to a vapor when applied to a heat source) has no nicotine content whatsoever.

The new U.S. Surgeon General said that officials need clarity on vaping and e-cigarettes to help guide policy. The point is, as vaping becomes a more popular practice in the U.S. it’s essential for everyone — health directors, researchers, and reporters to promote honesty and clarity when it comes to a public discussion about vaping.