The Nicotine Story Did Not Start With Vaping. It Started When America Was Told Smoking Was Normal.

There was a time in the United States when cigarettes were not merely tolerated. They were embedded in culture, glamour, routine, and even professional authority. Tobacco companies used physicians in cigarette advertising to reassure the public, and one scholarly review concluded that tobacco executives used physician imagery “to assure the consumer that their respective brands were safe.”[1] That history matters because it shows how one of the most damaging consumer health crises in modern life was not only sold, but normalized.

The turning point came when the science became too strong to ignore. The 1964 Surgeon General’s report transformed the national understanding of smoking risk, and the federal response that followed eventually required warning labels and banned cigarette advertising on broadcast media.[2] What had once been marketed as ordinary was now being treated as a public health threat.

Even after decades of warnings, the damage from cigarettes remains enormous. The CDC states that “Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States,” and that cigarette smoking “kills more than 480,000 Americans each year.”[3][4] Globally, the World Health Organization reports that tobacco “kills more than 7 million people each year,” including an estimated 1.6 million non smokers exposed to secondhand smoke.[5] This is not a historical problem that disappeared. It is a continuing health burden measured in disease, premature death, healthcare cost, and lost human life.

What changed is the form of nicotine delivery.

As cigarette awareness increased, the nicotine market did not simply vanish. It evolved. E cigarettes and vaping devices entered the market as newer delivery systems, often presented as cleaner, more modern, or less troubling than traditional smoking. But public health authorities have been careful not to describe them as safe. The CDC states that e cigarette aerosol can contain “cancer causing chemicals,” “heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead,” and “tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs.”[6] The World Health Organization is even more direct: “Evidence reveals that these products are harmful to health and are not safe.”[7]

That leads to the obvious question. Is vaping more harmful than cigarettes?

The most careful answer is this: current major health authorities do not say vaping is definitively more harmful overall than combustible cigarettes, and WHO specifically says it is “too early to provide a clear answer on the long term impact” of e cigarette use.[7] So a categorical claim that vaping is more harmful than cigarettes would go beyond what the best current public health sources support. But it is equally clear that vaping is not safe, that it continues nicotine addiction, and that it introduces its own toxic exposure concerns. That is particularly serious because nicotine itself is highly addictive, and because these products have spread rapidly among younger users.[6][7]

That youth dimension is one of the most alarming parts of the modern nicotine story. The CDC states that “E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth.”[8] CDC data for 2024 showed e cigarettes remained the most commonly reported tobacco product currently used by middle and high school students.[9] In plain terms, the nicotine problem did not end with cigarettes. It migrated into a newer, technology driven form that has reached a younger generation.

That is why the broader public health issue now goes beyond smoking alone. The real challenge is nicotine dependence itself. Cigarettes proved how devastating combustible tobacco could become when society underestimated the risk. Vaping shows how quickly nicotine can be repackaged, modernized, and reintroduced through a different device. The lesson from history is not subtle. When addiction is maintained, the delivery format may change, but the underlying problem remains.

This is where the market is beginning to shift. Governments, regulators, healthcare providers, and consumers are increasingly focused on moving beyond nicotine dependence rather than simply changing how nicotine is delivered.[5][7] That shift creates room for approaches designed around elimination rather than substitution. Within that context, Redwood Scientific Technologies is developing nicotine free oral thin film platforms through TBX FREE and TBX VAPE FREE, reflecting a strategy aligned with the growing need for tools that help smokers and vapers move away from nicotine entirely. This is not a claim of clinical outcome. It is a recognition of where the problem has moved, and where future demand may follow.

The history of cigarettes teaches one hard truth. Public belief can be wrong for a very long time before the consequences become undeniable. America once trusted cigarette marketing that wrapped itself in authority and reassurance. Today, nobody serious disputes the devastation cigarettes caused. Vaping should be viewed through that same lens of caution, not wishful thinking. The question is not whether nicotine has changed forms. It has. The question is whether the next generation of solutions will finally be built to help people leave it behind.

Sources and References

[1] Gardner, Brandt. “The Doctors’ Choice Is America’s Choice”: The Physician in U.S. Cigarette Advertisements, 1930 to 1953. American Journal of Public Health. Tobacco executives used physician imagery “to assure the consumer that their respective brands were safe.”

[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A History of the Surgeon General’s Reports on Smoking. Federal law later required warning labels and banned cigarette advertising on broadcast media.

[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Burden of Cigarette Use in the U.S. “Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.”

[4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Burden of Cigarette Use in the U.S. Cigarette smoking “kills more than 480,000 Americans each year.”

[5] World Health Organization. Tobacco Fact Sheet, June 25, 2025. Tobacco “kills more than 7 million people each year,” including an estimated 1.6 million non smokers exposed to secondhand smoke.

[6] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Effects of Vaping. E cigarette aerosol can contain cancer causing chemicals, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and tiny particles inhaled deep into the lungs.

[7] World Health Organization. Tobacco: E-cigarettes. “Evidence reveals that these products are harmful to health and are not safe,” while it remains “too early to provide a clear answer on the long term impact.”

[8] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. E-Cigarette Use Among Youth. “E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth.”

[9] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and MMWR youth tobacco data. In 2024, e cigarettes remained the most commonly reported tobacco product currently used by U.S. students.

About Redwood Scientific Technologies, Inc.
Redwood Scientific Technologies, Inc. is focused on developing innovative nicotine free technologies designed to help smokers transition away from combustible cigarettes and nicotine based products. The company’s TBX FREE and TBX VAPE FREE platforms are designed to address the behavioral and sensory aspects of smoking cessation while eliminating nicotine.
Redwood has previously achieved large scale commercial distribution of its oral thin film technologies and continues to advance new solutions designed for the global smoking cessation market. With more than 1 billion smokers worldwide and increasing regulatory pressure on both cigarettes and vaping products, demand for effective nicotine free alternatives continues to grow.
Additional information about Redwood Scientific Technologies can be found at
https://redwoodsci.com

Additional Company Disclosure
Redwood Scientific Technologies, Inc. is currently advancing the development of its nicotine free cessation technologies, including TBX FREE and TBX VAPE FREE. The company is in the process of completing required clinical validation through controlled research protocols.
Redwood’s products are not currently being marketed or sold. The company intends to complete a double blind placebo controlled efficacy study covering both product platforms prior to any commercial launch. These studies are designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the products in supporting smoking and vaping cessation and to provide data suitable for scientific publication.
Until those studies are completed and the company finalizes its clinical and regulatory strategy, Redwood Scientific Technologies does not offer these products for sale.
In addition, Redwood’s commercial strategy is structured as a business to business distribution model. The company does not sell products directly to end users or directly to consumers. Instead, Redwood intends to work through licensed distributors, healthcare partners, and institutional channels for future product distribution.
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