Can e-cigarettes help people quit smoking?

E-cigarettes pose far fewer health risks to smokers than traditional, combustible cigarettes. Yet it has not been easy to convince people to switch to e-cigarettes. Robin Mermelstein, director of the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago, recently launched a study to see if offering people a choice of flavor helps convert them into e-cigarette users who can quit smoking combustible cigarettes. Mermelstein, who is recruiting adult smokers in the Chicago area for the 12-week study, is available to discuss the relative health risks of traditional and e-cigarettes as well as to debunk myths about the dangers of e-cigarettes.