Tobacco Harm Reduction aims to reduce the net health hazards of combustible tobacco products. It provides an alternative source of nicotine for smokers who are unable or unwilling to completely quit cigarettes and nicotine. Considering the combustion products and toxic substances present in the smoke in addition to nicotine, Russell, a British tobacco addiction researcher, proposed the concept of “smokers inhale nicotine but die from tar.”
Tobacco harm reduction is built on this concept. E-cigarettes tobacco harm reduction.Although nicotine itself is not absolutely harmless, several studies evaluating the effects of non-combustible nicotine products have shown that nicotine is almost unlikely to cause smoking-related cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Russell proposed a way to reduce tobacco harm in 1974. Recognizing the high dependency potential and widespread appeal of nicotine to smokers, he believes that “the goal of abstinence and abolition of all smoking is unrealistic and doomed to failure”. A few years later, smoke-free tobacco products were introduced as a harm reduction alternative. Several subsequent studies have shown that the use of smoke-free tobacco products can reduce the occurrence of some smoking-related diseases.
The most typical case is in Sweden, where tobacco use among men is high, but dominated by Scandinavian snuff rather than cigarettes. As a result, Sweden has the lowest death rates from cancer and cardiovascular disease in the European Union. Recently, major health agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency have recognized that long-term nicotine treatment can reduce the harm of tobacco smokers Smoking dependence is not only related to nicotine, sensory experience and smoking habits play an important role.
Among existing products, e-cigarettes are the only ones that can deliver nicotine while mimicking the smoking habit. On its own, e-cigarettes can reduce harm in three ways: guiding smokers to quit smoking and helping ex-smokers avoid smoking to prevent non-smoking. From the point of view of public health, e-cigarettes should be used as products. However, non-smokers or people who have no intention of smoking cigarettes may also adopt e-cigarette use as a new habit. population studies have shown that the majority of regular e-cigarette users are smokers and former smokers, which supports the view that e-cigarettes are used for harm reduction.
However, studies have found an increase in the use of e-cigarettes by non-smokers, this is part of the reason for the China Vape Ban ,so this phenomenon should be continuously monitored to assess whether they will become regular users of nicotine e-cigarettes or transition to cigarette smoking. Awareness and use of e-cigarettes have grown exponentially over the past few years. As expected, this has attracted the attention of researchers, public health organizations, governments, and regulatory agencies.
