Smokers’ Helpline is a free, confidential service operated by the Canadian Cancer Society, offering support and information about quitting smoking, vaping and tobacco use. In over 20 years of operation, it has handled 400,000 calls, and 120,000 people have registered with the program. It is the main helpline for Canadians who smoke and operates in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan PEI and Yukon.

On its website, it says that it is ” evidence-based” and offers “personalized tools to help you quit successfully your way.”

On May 7th, 2023, I asked their online chat function questions about vaping to quit smoking. I posed as a pack-a-day smoker who had been vaping and not smoking for the last week. The replies I received were not evidence-based and contradicted the advice of Health Canada and many other experts.

I asked the Smokers’ Helpline if vaping could help me to quit smoking. I was told that vapes were not a “quit aid” and that there was not enough research to know.

What is the evidence they are using to make these assertions?

The Health Canada website says, “While the science is evolving, evidence suggests that vaping nicotine (using e-cigarettes), can help adults quit smoking” and “The best available evidence indicates that adults who smoke, who then switch completely to vaping …May be more likely to quit smoking than those who use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or counselling to quit;”

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction and Associate Minister of Health, announced: “Vaping products … do help people to stop smoking.”

The scientific experts at the prestigious Cochrane Collaboration stated: “Latest Cochrane Review finds high certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes are more effective than traditional nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) in helping people quit smoking.”

The official UK NHS website says, “Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. It’s also one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking.”

It seems that the Smokers’ Helpline is unaware of the evidence that vaping helps smokers to quit, and its offer of personalized advice to help quit your way does not apply to people who want to use vaping as a way to quit.

I then asked some more questions about popcorn lung and EVALI. These serious medical conditions are sometimes incorrectly considered to be a risk of vaping. They have received a lot of medical attention, falsely causing some people to think that vaping is more dangerous than it actually is. In some cases, people who were trying to quit smoking by vaping have been scared by the media, and have gone back to smoking. The evidence shows that neither popcorn lung nor EVALI is caused by legal nicotine vaping products.

The Health Canada website says, “Vaping is not known to cause Popcorn lung.”

E-cigarettes don’t cause the lung condition known as popcorn lung

There have been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung reported in people who use e-cigarettes

E-cigarettes are one of the tools that can help people who smoke to stop

Cancer Research UK

The official UK NHS website says, “Did you know? Vaping does not cause “popcorn lung” – the common name for a rare disease called bronchiolitis obliterans, found in workers exposed to a chemical used to flavour popcorn.”

On the subject of “EVALI”, Health Canada states that the outbreak of lung disease was associated with the use of contaminated illegal cannabis products:

“Evidence from the US suggests a link to unregulated tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing vaping products that contained additives, such as Vitamin E acetate. A clear finding from the outbreaks in the US and Canada is that Canadians should not use any vaping products, including products containing cannabis, obtained from illegal or unregulated sources.”

Cancer Research UK states: An investigation found the cases of EVALI were linked to contaminated illegal products. It was not linked to regular or long-term vaping. There is no good evidence that e-cigarettes bought from legal places in the UK cause lung disease.”

Dr. Colin Mendelsohn, an Australian doctor specializing in smoking cessation, also concluded, “Vaping nicotine does not cause EVALI.”

There seems to be a consensus that neither condition is a risk of vaping. So, what does the Smokers’ Helpine say?

It seems that the people who respond to smokers’ questions on the Smokers’ Helpline are unaware of Health Canada’s position on vaping and of the advice offered by many experts. Although they claim to provide evidence-based advice, they are, in fact, ignoring the evidence.

Interestingly, Smokers’ Helpline has arranged with Johnson and Johnson to offer trial packs of medical nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and discount coupons for their products to eligible Smokers’ Helpline clients.

Cancer Research UK tells people who smoke that e-cigarettes are an option that will help them to quit. The Canadian Cancer Society says, “The best approach for your health is to quit using any type of cigarette or tobacco product altogether.” Why are two cancer organizations giving different advice?

This makes me wonder if the Smokers’ Helpline is in the business of providing evidence-based advice or supporting Johnson and Johnson’s business, which is suffering as many people who smoke now prefer to quit smoking by using vaping rather than buying medical NRT from companies like Johnson and Johnson.

Under the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, Health Canada has an obligation to ensure that Canadians are accurately informed about the risks of vaping because “Not understanding the relative risks associated with vaping versus smoking could lead Canadians to make uninformed decisions about hazards to their health.” Health Canada should work with the Canadian Cancer Society and the Smokers’ Helpine to ensure that Canadians who smoke are correctly informed that vaping can help them quit smoking, and they should not be worried that legal nicotine vaping could cause popcorn lung or EVALI.