Smoking destroys your health. Despite the well-known consequences of smoking, smokers struggle to quit the addictive nicotine found in a rolled-up tobacco. Yet it’s the burning of tobacco that releases thousands of toxic chemicals that cause the most damage, not nicotine. In contrast to tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes provide nicotine without burning tobacco. So would e-cigarettes help reduce the harm brought by smoking tobacco or are they just as bad as tobacco for public health?

Prof. Dr. Gerry Stimson, a public health sociologist and advocate of e-cigarettes, shares his views on the debate.