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Of course it's great if you're replacing normal cigarettes with it. But why should we pretend it's healthy to do if you weren't smoking to begin with? Nicotine

by imgabe 10y ago

Of course it's great if you're replacing normal cigarettes with it. But why should we pretend it's healthy to do if you weren't smoking to begin with? Nicotine is still highly addictive and causes heart disease. If you're not currently using nicotine, why start?

vilhelm_s 10y ago
Lots of reasons! :) https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine
- wyager 10y ago
  Wow, that's crazy. The most interesting part is that for Tobacco, it's MAOIs, not nicotine, that is the most addictive.
- imgabe 10y ago
  Interesting! Tempted to try it myself.
draw_down 10y ago
It's not about pretending they're healthy, it's about not pretending like they're anywhere near as terrible as smoking tobacco, which is terrible. The argument seems to be "they both involve inhaling and exhaling something that isn't air, so they're both equally bad." Personally I think it's mainly to do with the optics of it. As a society we've spent all kinds of money and effort to stop smoking, and it's now heavily stigmatized. So to see something come around that appears similar to smoking seems to drive a lot of people nuts.
duaneb 10y ago
Obviously don't start. But do write the FDA urging them to recognize them as at least less unhealthy than cigarettes. And removing those moronic testing charges associated with flavor and nicotine would help consumers make healthy choices instead of accepting the tobacco companies products and actually get people off of smoking.
mwfunk 10y ago
That's one thing I don't understand. It's great if used as an an aid to quitting, like nicotine gum, but I don't understand why someone would use them otherwise. A nonsmoker buying nicotine gum would be just as crazy. I can't imagine anyone being naive enough to think that nicotine by itself is a good thing, except as a step towards getting rid of a preexisting nicotine addiction.
- d0lph 10y ago
  Nicotine itself is a stimulant with few health risks, the main problem with tobacco is the burning plant matter. Nicotine itself occurs naturally in many foods, such as tomatoes.

by imgabe 10y ago

vilhelm_s 10y ago

Lots of reasons! :) https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine

wyager 10y ago
Wow, that's crazy. The most interesting part is that for Tobacco, it's MAOIs, not nicotine, that is the most addictive.
imgabe 10y ago
Interesting! Tempted to try it myself.

draw_down 10y ago

It's not about pretending they're healthy, it's about not pretending like they're anywhere near as terrible as smoking tobacco, which is terrible. The argument seems to be "they both involve inhaling and exhaling something that isn't air, so they're both equally bad." Personally I think it's mainly to do with the optics of it. As a society we've spent all kinds of money and effort to stop smoking, and it's now heavily stigmatized. So to see something come around that appears similar to smoking seems to drive a lot of people nuts.

duaneb 10y ago

Obviously don't start. But do write the FDA urging them to recognize them as at least less unhealthy than cigarettes. And removing those moronic testing charges associated with flavor and nicotine would help consumers make healthy choices instead of accepting the tobacco companies products and actually get people off of smoking.

mwfunk 10y ago

That's one thing I don't understand. It's great if used as an an aid to quitting, like nicotine gum, but I don't understand why someone would use them otherwise. A nonsmoker buying nicotine gum would be just as crazy. I can't imagine anyone being naive enough to think that nicotine by itself is a good thing, except as a step towards getting rid of a preexisting nicotine addiction.

d0lph 10y ago
Nicotine itself is a stimulant with few health risks, the main problem with tobacco is the burning plant matter. Nicotine itself occurs naturally in many foods, such as tomatoes.