Creating a path to quitting cigarettes

Hon Lik is widely recognized as the original inventor of the e-cigarette. Here, he speaks with Imperial Brands about the genesis of the vaping category, the challenges it faces, and his hopes for the future of tobacco harm reduction.

The genesis of the invention of the electronic cigarette

My father smoked a pack of cigarettes a day and was diagnosed with lung cancer later in life. The doctor attributed this to smoking. I started smoking when I was 18 and quickly realized I had to quit, but it proved very difficult, even with the help of nicotine patches. While these patches helped manage nicotine cravings, they were no substitute for smoking.

So I decided to apply my knowledge of engineering and pharmacy to design a device that would deliver nicotine to the human body in a similar way to a cigarette.

This resulted in the launch of the first electronic cigarette on the Chinese market in 2004.

How you feel when you see someone vaping

I feel pride. I believe vapes are a very humanized product that alleviates many of the symptoms of cigarette withdrawal, allowing users to enjoy nicotine with potentially reduced risks. Of course, they are only intended for adult smokers.

Overall, I am pleased and gratified to see this revolution changing the lifestyle of millions of adult smokers around the world.

Evolution of the original device

When a product is cutting edge, it often becomes niche and reserved for enthusiasts. For the majority of people who want to cut down on their cigarette consumption or quit smoking completely, I think value for money and variety of flavors are the most important factors in a vape.

It is crucial that consumers have choices and manufacturers make this easy. Companies like Imperial Brands have a responsibility to ensure their products are of the highest quality and perform exactly as intended. This is essential to building consumer trust and increasing acceptance.

Differences in vaping adoption between countries

Perhaps Australia is being overly cautious as this product category is still considered nascent. I believe if they looked at the evidence from the UK they would find that a well regulated vaping sector would help their adult smokers make better choices.

Importance of Flavors in the Vaping Experience

When we first launched the e-cigarette, we only had two flavors: tobacco and later tobacco-mint. I hadn't considered developing fruity flavors, but they proved effective, especially since consumers have very diverse needs.

I personally think regulators should focus on enforcing age restrictions rather than banning flavors. We all need to be as strict as possible to avoid adoption by vulnerable populations like youth.

Progress in reducing tobacco harm

When it comes to vaping, the media coverage remains very confusing for many consumers. The public health principle of tobacco harm reduction still rests on the relative harms of vaping compared to smoking.

However, anti-vaping activists still focus on the absolute potential harms of vaping, i.e. vaping without ever having smoked cigarettes, which is not the goal of the product. They also use extreme language, calling nicotine a “poison,” which I find extremely misleading.

Furthermore, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control may be well-intentioned, but in my opinion, it is ineffective and irresponsible. Their current position on vapes, namely that they are harmful and that their use by young people leads to smoking initiation, is subjective and lacks a solid scientific basis.

Cost is another barrier, and more innovation will be needed to make future next-generation products more affordable and accessible to all. This will inevitably happen, I believe, and will hopefully allow all adult smokers to benefit from the potential reduction in tobacco harm.

Hopes for the future of vaping and NGPs

I truly believe that innovation is just beginning. In the 1960s, due to scientific and technological limitations, nicotine was considered the main harmful element in tobacco. Today, it is understood that it is the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke, produced when tobacco is burned, that are the most dangerous.

The media fail to correct this crucial error. They are also often guilty of sensationalist headlines without describing the quality of the scientific data presented or conducting further investigations.

In the coming decades, with the help of long-term epidemiological data, I believe it will be revealed that NGPs like vapes are clearly less harmful compared to combustible tobacco, creating a pathway for tens of millions of smokers to give up cigarettes.

Content produced and proposed by Mr Hon Lik in late summer 2024. Mr Hon Lik is based in China and works as a consultant for Imperial Tobacco. These comments are his own and do not reflect the opinion or communication of the company.