Vaping is an innovative harm reduction tool which has been recognised as a safer alternative to smoking by Public Health England, Cancer Research UK, Ministry of Health New Zealand, among many others. Millions of smokers globally choose vaping as a means to quit smoking. Despite its indisputable successes in bringing about the end of the smoking pandemic, vaping is subject to a wide array of myths. Understanding the prevalence of these myths, as well as the fundamental beliefs surrounding them is key to breaking the vaping stigma.

This report presents the findings of two nation-wide surveys on harm reduction in Germany and France. The report consists of 30 interviews with general practitioners and a quantitative survey of 862 French and German smokers. The main goal of this study is to gain a greater insight into the misperceptions about vaping, their impact, and understand how to tackle them.

In addition to our own research, we compiled a list of misperceptions around vaping and nicotine in several countries. Taken together, this list shows fundamental and pervasive lack of knowledge surrounding the topic of tobacco harm reduction – including the very meaning of harm reduction, the importance of nicotine alternatives, and misperceptions of the effects of nicotine itself. Moreover, current policies ignore the public health benefits that come with a strategy centred around minimising harm. Current cessation approaches focused on outright quitting or altering smokers’ behaviour have been unsuccessful and have left their intended beneficiaries down. By contrast, campaigns to quit smoking are far more likely to be successful when they focus on the inclusion of alternatives such as vaping.

The report recommends engaging in more robust and scientifically-informed communication with smokers about the real risks involved in smoking as well as informing the latter about possible substitutes for nicotine. Furthermore, future regulatory measures should be risk-based, encouraging doctors and smokers to seek out less detrimental alternatives to classic cigarettes.

Millions of smokers have quit smoking thanks to vaping and similarly less harmful alternatives to smoking. While it is estimated that more than 80 million people worldwide are vaping, the regulatory burden on these products is intensifying.

Traditional anti-smoking policies such as tobacco taxes, advertising and marketing bans, or high taxation, to name a few, have had only limited success so far. Although commendable, the policy measures clearly haven’t brought about the desired outcomes. In the European Union alone, smoking-induced cancer takes nearly 700,000 lives every year. As conventional policies have failed to drive down this staggering number, new innovations have entered the market. Less harmful alternatives such as vaping, nicotine pouches or snus helped millions of people worldwide to quit smoking.

However, the myths about vaping and nicotine have gotten in the way of embracing harm reduction by many governments. As we discovered during our study, these myths are deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of consumers, doctors, and policymakers in many countries. To tackle the misperceptions around vaping, it is key to lay them out.