Despite the continuous efforts to discourage people from picking up a smoking habit and the pains the world has gone through to try to convince those who do to quit, it seems that around one billion people in the world still smoke today where even the World Health Organization don’t expect these numbers to decease in the near future. There is no dispute that the best choice any smoker can make is to quit tobacco and nicotine completely, but the reality is that, in any given year, 90% of smokers simply don’t quit. Smoke-free alternatives exist to give these people a better choice
Countries that incorporate smoke-free alternatives into their strategies to end smoking, can help reduce smoking rates faster than traditional tobacco control measures. However, those with strict tobacco control measures are preventing many smokers who don’t quit, from being informed and having access to better alternatives to cigarettes. A number of public health authorities agree that the harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke are the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. Smoke-free products like nicotine pouches, snus, heated tobacco, and e-cigarettes can however produce significantly lower levels of harmful chemicals than cigarette smoke and in turn, making them significantly less harmful.
Society should be doing more to help the vast population of adult smokers by making science backed smoke-free forms of tobacco and nicotine available. Society should also ensure they can access information about these alternatives that could help them make an informed decision. The concept and application of tobacco harm reduction can support traditional tobacco control measures (such as preventing initiation and encouraging cessation), which can in turn help accelerate the reduction of smoking prevalence. Products that deliver nicotine without smoke can play a crucial role in making the world smoke-free. By making them accessible and affordable to all existing adult smokers, governments could achieve a future free from smoke faster than traditional tobacco control measures.
Sponsored by Philip Morris Management Services (Middle East) Limited
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