Tobacco Harm Reduction
1. What is Tobacco Harm Reduction?
Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) is a strategy aimed at moving tobacco smokers to potentially less risky nicotine alternatives such as e-cigarettes (vaping) or nicotine pouches. It recognises that it’s the burning of tobacco that causes diseases from smoking, not nicotine.
Research has found that tobacco harm reduction “involves providing tobacco users who are unwilling or unable to quit using nicotine products with less harmful nicotine-containing products”
2. Why is harm reduction necessary for smokers?
Harm reduction is essential because many smokers want to quit but can’t. THR is a pragmatic, evidence-based method to help them stop. THR stops smokers from being exposed to the 7,000 plus chemicals released when tobacco is burnt.
3. What are the main alternatives recommended for Tobacco Harm Reduction?
Existing on a risk continuum, the main recommended alternatives include vaping, heat not burn (HnB) and nicotine pouches.
Experts have found that “the least hazardous harm reduction alternative is medicinal nicotine products which include nicotine replacement therapy like gums, patches, lozenges and inhalers.”
4. Is vaping safer than smoking cigarettes?
It may surprise you to hear that nicotine products significantly reduce harm and the risk of tobacco-related disease and are known to be significantly (95%) safer than smoking cigarettes.
5. Can e-cigarettes help you quit smoking?
Yes! E-cigarettes are proven to help quit smoking and are a popular tool to do so.
The most substantial evidence for e-cigarettes as a tool to help people quit smoking over traditional nicotine replacement therapies can be found in this Cochrane review.
6. What are the health risks associated with e-cigarettes?
Although far less harmful than smoking, e-cigarettes are firmly placed on the risk continuum and should only be used as a cessation method.
7. How can I read more about best practise approaches in other countries?
The best known example worldwide is Sweden, where smoking rates have plummeted to just 5.6%.
8. What are common misconceptions about nicotine?
Although nicotine is not harmless, it is not the cause of the adverse effects of smoking and poses significantly less harm than that of combustible tobacco.
Nicotine increases heart rate and blood pressure and has a range of local irritant effects, but it is not a carcinogen.
Does nicotine cause cancer?
No. It is important to note that nicotine does not cause cancer.
Therefore, switching smokers to safer nicotine products could save millions of life years and reverse the tobacco pandemic.
Do nicotine pouches cause cancer?
No. It is important to note that nicotine pouches do not contain carcinogens that are associated with tobacco.
Approximately 80-90% of a nicotine pouch comprises water and microcrystalline cellulose contained within a porous pouch, which acts as the non-tobacco substrate.
9. What are common myths about Vaping?
Myth 1: Partly addressed above, one of the most common misconceptions about vaping is the extent of the danger it poses. For example, although there is a common belief that vaping causes popcorn lung, e-cigarettes have not been linked to any confirmed cases of popcorn lung.
Myth 2: Evali is caused by nicotine vaping – A myth debunked as the few cases of Evali, all used black-market THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) vapes, further justifies quality control and regulation, which cannot be controlled on the black market.
Myth 3: Flavours are made for kids – This multidimensional review examines the science, consumer insights, risks, and regulatory considerations of flavours used in THR.
10. Where can I find more information and support about switching to safer alternatives?
- You can read more about THR in general here and delve into the scientific research behind harm reduction here.
- The latest reports and research on the need for harm reduction and its benefits in practice can be found here.
- You can also download a free e-book on THR from an advocacy perspective here.
- You can access a relatively new report titled, INTEGRATING HARM REDUCTION INTO TOBACCO CONTROL: How many lives could be saved by accelerating tobacco control policies in Kazakhstan, Pakistan, South Africa, and Bangladesh?
