Global Forum on Nicotine/Expert: Smokeless, less dangerous products
2023-07-10 18:01:27
TiranaPost
The Global Forum on Nicotine, focusing on reducing tobacco harm to pave the way for a smoke-free world in the next decade, was held in Warsaw, Poland on 24 June 2023.
More than 70 speakers including international public health specialists, scientists, physicians, regulators, consumers and manufacturers discussed alternative choices and the role of smokeless products that have the potential to reduce harm to human health.
At the conference, it was emphasized that over a billion people still use cigarettes and that this number is slowly decreasing.
"The problem is that people love the habit of consuming nicotine through cigarettes. This is why many people do not want to give up cigarettes, but if we can isolate nicotine in a much safer form, then we can give smokers a nicotine product that does not cause disease. Nicotine itself does not cause cancer, but cigarettes are one of the world's leading causes of non-communicable diseases," said Clive Bates, tobacco control expert and director of Counterfactual Consulting Limited.
"Damage occurs from burning tobacco, because in this way thousands of toxic substances are released that enter the body by inhaling cigarette smoke. Thanks to the development of science and new technologies, in recent years there has been the development of smoke-free alternatives that neutralize this problem and work on the principle of heating and not that of combustion. However, this rapid development and the diversity of these smoke-free products has raised a number of questions, ranging from who uses them, what is their impact on smoking rates and the fight against tobacco smoke, or whether they should be obtained with a prescription. from the doctor. Now we have enough information and studies show that switching to smoke-free alternatives carries a lower risk," said Bates.
Global experts were of the same opinion that the cigarette should not be started, but if you are already a consumer of this product, you should leave it, although practice shows that out of 10 people who try, only one succeeds. Therefore, the question arises, how to help smokers?!
"Some of the evaluations we have received so far show that smokeless products are less dangerous in 90 percent of cases. If you stop smoking and start using smokeless products, the nicotine gets into the lungs, but not all the other toxic products go with it, so the body is exposed to much lower levels of the toxin," Bates pointed out.
The well-known expert is of the opinion that there are many controversies in this field and lack of knowledge leads to mistakes.
“Dëgjojmë komente të tipit “alternativat përmbajnë metale të rënda”, megjithatë fakti është se këto metale të rënda janë në një nivel kaq të ulët sa nuk duhet të shkaktojnë fare shqetësim toksikologjik.
Shumë konsumatorë të produkteve të duhanit vijnë nga vende më pak të zhvilluara me gjendje jo të mirë financiare dhe ajo që mund t'u sigurohet janë alternativat më pak të dëmshme. Vendimmarrësit nuk kanë pse të investojnë asgjë, apo të reklamojnë alternativa më pak të dëmshme, thjesht duhet të qëndrojnë mënjanë dhe të sigurohen që këto produkte të jenë sa më të sigurta dhe të tjerat do t'i bëjë tregu”, shtoi ai.
The Forum also emphasized that vapors cause 90 percent less harm than traditional cigarettes, so smokers should be aware of the possibility of choosing safer nicotine products. This is why tobacco companies are constantly transforming and orienting themselves towards alternatives, while it is worth noting that minors should not have access to these products.
