Tobacco Harm Reduction in Action: A pathway to smokefree ambitions
With renewed attention on smoking and vaping regulation around the world, British American Tobacco (BAT) – WITCO’s parent company believes that now is the time for action that will establish tobacco harm reduction (THR) as a legitimate approach to achieving public health ambitions. .
Achieving this vision requires a global consensus on the most effective approach to create sustained and lasting changes to consumer behaviour – Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR). THR is one the greatest public health opportunities today, representing a pathway for hundreds of millions of smokers who would not otherwise quit to transition from combustible tobacco products to smokeless alternatives.
Countries that have recognised the opportunity THR presents, and which have adopted supportive policies, have seen striking success in reducing their smoking rates. The US, UK and Japan are all currently witnessing their lowest smoking rates on record, while Sweden is on track to declare themselves smokefree this year – defined as having fewer than 5per cent of daily smokers in the population – 16 years ahead of the 2040 EU target.
These remarkable transformations have been driven by widespread THR acceptance from policymakers, regulators, health officials and consumers in these markets; enabling and encouraging smokers to migrate from combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes to vapour, oral nicotine pouches, snus and heated tobacco or herbal products.
The widespread accessibility of smokeless products is essential for the success of THR. However, at present this is being hamstrung by many countries limiting access to these alternative tobacco and nicotine products. For example, 60 per cent of the world’s population live in just 15 countries; of these, only about 40 per cent permit the sale of smokeless products, leaving millions who would otherwise continue to smoke without the option to switch to such alternatives.
To fully realise the public health potential of THR and significantly reduce the more than 8 million deaths attributed to smoking cigarettes each year, regulators around the world are encouraged to embrace evidence-based science to drive positive public health outcomes.
This means implementing a supportive regulatory framework that encourages adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch, while also protecting consumers with stringent safety standards and preventing underage use.
In addition, the global success of THR depends on governments and regulators correcting persistent misperceptions of smokeless products compared to cigarettes.
A UCL-led study published earlier this year highlighted that most smokers in England wrongly believe vaping is at ‘least as harmful as smoking’, with 57 per cent of respondents saying they thought vaping was ‘equally’ or ‘more harmful’. This echoes trends reported in the US, with research showing that perceptions of E-cigarettes as more harmful than cigarettes doubled year on year between 2018 and 20203. Not only are these misperceptions flawed, but they also have significant implications for public health by actively discouraging smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke from making the switch to smokeless products.
WITCO believes that greater efforts are needed to counter these misperceptions. The world’s largest vapour companies and leaders in smokeless products, are committed to producing innovative products backed by world class science and industry-leading product safety and quality standards. The THR approach is based on the growing body of research and weight of evidence approach that substantiates the belief that the reduced risk profile of these products compared to cigarettes, which have been accepted by many international public health bodies.
The industry developing and producing these products has a critical role to play, but to achieve the conditions required to make a success of THR, an inclusive, open, and honest dialogue with all stakeholders is required. That includes policymakers, regulators, and the healthcare and medical communities. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case, with the industry all too often excluded.
As a collective, we have an opportunity to usher in a new smokeless world, grounded in scientific research and a firm commitment to public health. The solutions are available today. All that is required is for the relevant stakeholders to actively work together to prioritise THR and the well-being of millions of people worldwide.
1. “Scientist calls for evidence based tobacco harm reduction strategies” , healthdigest.ng/world-vaping-day-scientist, 30 May 2024
2 “Most smokers wrongly believe vaping is at least as harmful as smoking “, University College London, 20 February 2024
3 “Relative Harm Perceptions of E-Cigarettes Versus Cigarettes, U.S. Adults, 2018-2020”, National Library of Medicine, August 20