Addiction in any form has negative effect. But on a comparison scale, some of them come across as more harmful than others.

Smoking has enormous negative impacts on human health. In spite of that, a significant number of people, including renowned celebrities find it extremely hard to quit. As an alternative of complete quitting, many of them opt for electronic cigarettes.

Celebrities who have opted for e-cigarettes, so far, include the dazzling names of Jenny McCarthy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katherine Heigl, Lindsay Lohan and Stephen Dorff, to name a few.

For the soon-to-be quitters, e-cigarette is probably one of the better available options to date.

According to a recent study, even though the potential long-term side effects of e-cigarette use are not known as of now, but undoubtedly they are much less harmful than the real smoke caused by the conventional cigarettes. The smoke from conventional cigarettes is extremly harmful not only just for the smokers but also for passive smokers who slowly turn into victims.

The research, which was done by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), was published in the scientific journal Addiction.

This work suggests that even though there is lack of enough knowledge which clearly calls for further investigations, the present evidence about e-cigarettes does not clarify regulating them more strictly than, or even as strictly as, conventional cigarettes.

This scientific review was performed by an international group of leading tobacco scientists. It was led by QMUL's Professor Peter Hajek.

“According to the report by Science Daily, Hajek said the evidence we currently have is clear: e-cigarettes should be allowed to compete against conventional cigarettes in the marketplace. Health care professionals may advise smokers who are unwilling to cease nicotine use to switch to e-cigarettes. Smokers who have not managed to stop with current treatments may also benefit from switching to e-cigarettes."

Electronic cigarettes have become quite popular in last few years.

Public health researchers have been trying to find out the potential negative and positive effects of e-cigarettes, while regulatory bodies across the globe are presently debating whether, and how heavily, to regulate e-cigarettes or not.

The decision will definitely feature amongst the key public health verdicts of recent times.