“Even more concerning is that in addition to the total nicotine content being high, they have a very high proportion of freebase nicotine, which facilitates faster delivery into the bloodstream. This makes them even more effective in delivering higher levels of nicotine compared to cigarettes.” — Nargiz Travis, MScPH (CAsToR Project Director, Georgetown University)

“A lot of the challenge in regulating in this space is recognising you have a reduced-risk product, but not a risk-free product. So how do we make sure it’s helping the people it can help, and isn’t harming the people who wouldn’t have otherwise used tobacco or nicotine?” — Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, DPhil (Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts - Amherst and Co-Lead, CAsToR Policy Analysis and Dissemination (PAD) Core)

It can be difficult to implement policies and messaging that protect young people from e-cigarettes while also finding ways “to bring e-cigarettes into the arsenal to help people quit. The challenge has been, ‘How can we do those two things at the same time?’” says Rafael Meza, PhD.