A recent research study funded by the National Cancer Institute in the United States of America revealed that innovative smoking alternatives could lead to a rapid decline in the consumption of traditional cigarettes, while the latest joint report issued by the Institute and the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that The high growth rates of heated tobacco products in Japan have contributed significantly to the reduction in sales of traditional cigarettes from 2016 until now.
The report revealed that the cost of the economic burden resulting from the failure to deal with the problem of tobacco use amounts to more than one trillion US dollars annually, at a time when new tobacco control policies play an important role in protecting public health, noting that many countries such as the United States, Portugal, and the Kingdom The United States, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, the Philippines and Greece have recognized the ability of alternative products to reduce the risks of traditional cigarettes, as “proven” scientific research confirms that the process of burning tobacco in a traditional cigarette is directly responsible for diseases associated with smoking, and not nicotine as is rumored, especially since it causes the production of more Of the 6,000 harmful or potentially harmful chemical compounds that cause these diseases.
While smoke-free alternatives eliminate the burning process completely and replace it with heating the tobacco at a temperature not exceeding a maximum of 350 degrees Celsius, which is the temperature that does not burn it. Thus, the average levels of harmful substances are reduced by up to 95% compared to cigarette smoke, but this does not necessarily mean that the damage resulting from smoking is reduced by the same percentage, or that these alternatives are completely risk-free.
Although nicotine is considered one of the reasons for continuing to smoke, scientific research confirms that it is innocent of causing diseases resulting from smoking, but it remains an addictive substance, and is not free of risks, which is what Scott Gottlieb, Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), expressed when “It’s not the nicotine that kills you, it’s the carcinogens from lighting tobacco,” he said in 2017.
In turn, Professor Francesco Moscone, Professor of Business Economics at Brunel Business School in England and former Head of the Center for Research in Entrepreneurship, confirmed that switching from traditional cigarettes to low-risk products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, may lead to significant reductions in health expenditures in England ranging from 2.5%. to 13%, depending on conversion rates, and that this shift could help the UK achieve its goal of eliminating traditional smoking by 2030, which would free up hospital resources to spend on other critical illnesses.
Research indicates that combining strong measures to prevent smoking and supporting the use of low-risk alternatives can accelerate the elimination of tobacco smoking around the world, and that this approach can lead to significant reductions in health care expenditures and provide a path towards achieving the goals of tobacco smoking. Public Health
Source: Maan News Agency
