CLAIM: 

Flavoured vapes can help people quit smoking

FACT: 

Evidence from multiple studies supports Trump's claim that vaping has indeed helped many people quit smoking, though the extent of its effectiveness may vary depending on the person.

US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump claimed in a social media post that flavored vaping "greatly helped people get off smoking." The statement, made on Trump's Truth Social platform on Sept. 20, 2024, has drawn attention to the role of e-cigarettes in smoking cessation. The post has since garnered nearly 20,000 likes and 4.65k retweets.

"I saved Flavored Vaping in 2019, and it greatly helped people get off smoking. I raised the age to 21, keeping it away from the “kids.” Kamala and Joe want everything banned, killing small businesses all over the Country. I’ll save Vaping again!," he wrote in the post that has been liked close to 20,000 times and has been shared close to 5,000 times.

Several studies indicate that vaping can be an effective tool for quitting smoking. A review of clinical trials found that e-cigarettes, particularly those containing nicotine, improved smoking cessation rates compared to traditional nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) such as patches and gum. The study showed that nicotine e-cigarettes helped more individuals stop smoking for at least six months than NRTs or e-cigarettes without nicotine.

Supporting this finding, a large U.S. survey reported that 71.3% of respondents who both smoked and vaped said they used vaping to aid their attempts to quit smoking. This high percentage indicates that many smokers find vaping to be a viable alternative to traditional cigarettes when trying to quit.

Further evidence comes from the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS), which states that individuals using nicotine vapes are roughly twice as likely to quit smoking compared to those using other NRTs. This data from a major health organization lends credence to the effectiveness of vaping as a smoking cessation aid.

While Trump's claim that he "saved Flavored Vaping in 2019" is an overstatement, his administration did reverse plans for a comprehensive ban on flavored e-cigarettes. In 2019, the administration ultimately allowed menthol and tobacco flavours to remain on the market while banning fruit and mint flavors in cartridge-based e-cigarettes.

Trump's claim that vaping "greatly helped people get off smoking" is supported by several studies and surveys. While individual experiences may vary, the available evidence indicates that vaping has indeed helped many people quit smoking. The claim about the effectiveness of vaping as a smoking cessation aid is therefore true.

Also read: Fact-check: Vaping not a safe alternative to smoking - First Check

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