WARSAW: Tobacco harm reduction or THR enables people to switch away from smoking and other risky tobacco to safer nicotine products if they do not want to quit using nicotine completely.
Studies in the United States, Sweden, New Zealand, and Japan have shown that smoke-free products can reduce smoking, although longer-term data is needed to quantify the impact.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});It was revealed that harm reduction approach is possible with the understanding that nicotine, an addictive component of cigarette smoke, is a primary driver for continued smoking.
Journalists learned of the various scientific study facts during presentations by scientists and doctors among other professionals At the 12th Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN 2025) that was held at the Warsaw Presidential Hotel from June 19 to 21.
Nicotine does not cause cancer. People smoke in order to use nicotine, and smoking is the world’s leading cause of non-communicable disease. Other forms of tobacco use can be also very damaging to health.
When tobacco burns, it releases thousands of toxic chemicals inhaled in smoke. Remove the combustion and the harm is significantly reduced.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});It is the chronic exposure to the harmful and potentially harmful constituents generated and emitted in cigarette smoke when the tobacco is burned that is the main cause of smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, and cardiovascular disease.
Smoke-free products that deliver nicotine without combustion and with far lower levels of toxicants are closer on the spectrum to cessation than combusted products.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Smoke-free products deliver nicotine without burning tobacco and, thus, release fewer or lower levels of HPHCs than cigarettes.
Studies have shown that smokers who switch to smoke-free products achieve similar levels of nicotine exposure as when they smoked.
For example, heated tobacco products or THS, emit a nicotine-containing aerosol and in clinical studies, smokers who switched from cigarettes to THS after adjusting to the new product were able to maintain similar levels of nicotine exposure as when they smoked cigarettes.
However, they substantially reduced their exposure to the set of HPHCs within days of switching.
In fact, they were able to achieve 95 per cent of the reduction in exposure than participants who abstained from smoking entirely achieved.
Other smoke-free products, such as e-vapour products, snus, and nicotine pouches provide nicotine in an alternative way. E-vapour products vaporise a nicotine-containing e-liquid to produce an aerosol which is inhaled.
Meanwhile, snus and nicotine pouches are small, porous pouches that contain nicotine – either through tobacco or a nicotine powder – that the users place in their mouth, between the upper lip and gums where the nicotine is absorbed.
Because these products release significantly lower levels of HPHCs compared with cigarettes, they have the potential to reduce the risk of smoking-related disease associated with continued smoking.
A wider choice of smoke-free products can help to maximize the probability that adult smokers who don’t or cannot quit, can find an alternative suitable for them and their lifestyle, thereby maximizing the growing number of smokers who transition away from cigarettes and toward less harmful products.
The ultimate goal of tobacco harm reduction is to accelerate the end of smoking and risky tobacco-related death and disease.
In recent years, many countries where people can access safer nicotine products have seen accelerated declines in smoking rates.
It is estimated that over 140 million people now use safer nicotine products, with most have quit or significantly reduced their use of risky tobacco.
The event closed on a positive note with calls to forge new alliances and friendship with doctors and the media.
