Dr. Jerome Adams is assistant professor of anesthesiology at Indiana University School of Medicine and has also sat on committees of various professional organizations is set to fill in the shoes of Dr. Vivek Murthy, who was forced to resign last April . Adams has served as the Indiana State Health Commissioner in 2014 under then-governor Mike Pence, during the 2015 HIV outbreak crises, when the virus spread among users of a prescription opioid, Opana.
An article published last week on CNN, pointed out that Adams whose own brother is an opioid addict, is known to be an advocate for harm reduction strategies. In fact he was one of the main figures behind the needle exchange program that was implemented in Indiana, to combat the HIV epidemic.
His opinions on e-cigarettes for harm reduction?
It is yet unclear what Adams’ views on electronic cigarettes are. In an interview following his appointment, the anesthesiologist did mention that smoking rates especially amongst mothers are a top concern. Nonetheless he recently also congratulated those in favour of a smoke-free ordinance passed in Indiana that imposes restrictions on e-cigarettes, however it is unknown whether Adams was familiar with the exact content of the ordinance and its impositions on vaping products.