A Common Language: Proposing Terminology for E-Cigarettes and The People Who Use Them

"We should not be doing the tobacco industry’s dirty work for them,” explained IGTC’s Joanna Cohen as part of a video op-ed entitled “A Common Language,” which examines the problematic implications of many terms used to discuss e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products—and offers suggestions for how those working in public health and tobacco control might communicate about these products moving forward.

The video elaborates on concerns raised in a recent Tobacco Control editorial. IGTC has followed through by sharing written guidance (which the Institute has itself adopted) on how the field should refer to certain nicotine and tobacco products, as well as additional considerations such as adherence to person-first language when discussing use and which words to stick to (or refrain from) when discussing commercial tobacco.