How Tobacco Harm reduction can benefit smokers

Benefits

Tobacco harm reduction strategies and products can help adult smokers quit, prevent tobacco-related disease and premature death and greatly improve their quality of life.

This website advocates for the World Health Organization and governments worldwide to seize the opportunity to distinguish between smoked and smoke-free products, the key differentiator for policy purposes.

THR is probably the best-kept secret in individual and population health. By introducing risk-based, proportionate regulation for smoke-free alternative nicotine products, millions of lives can be saved.

THR CAN HELP SMOKERS QUIT

Evidence is growing that THR products are effective in helping people to quit smoking:

Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews: Hartmann-Boyce et al., showed “there is evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers to stop smoking in the long term compared with placebo e-cigarettes.”
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Evidence from randomised controlled trials, notably, Hajek et al., showed vaping to be about twice as effective as NRT. “E-cigarettes were more effective for smoking cessation than nicotine-replacement therapy, when both products were accompanied by behavioural support.”
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Testimonials by users who have struggled to quit using other methods. See, for example, CASAA testimonials.
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Observational studies (examining what happens when people use e-cigarettes) for example, Jackson et al, show that “use of e-cigarettes and varenicline are associated with higher abstinence rates following a quit attempt in England.”
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Population data (unusually rapid reductions in smoking prevalence and cigarette sales), for example, Zhu S-H et al., indicated: “The substantial increase in e-cigarette use among US adult smokers was associated with a statistically significant increase in the smoking cessation rate at the population level. These findings need to be weighed carefully in regulatory policy making regarding e-cigarettes and in planning tobacco control interventions.”
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THR Backed by science

This shows a positive trend that especially e-cigarettes are displacing smoking. If one adds common sense, surely an alternative way of taking nicotine – with a fraction of the health risk and stigma and combined with other attractive features – should be expected to replace smoking as technology evolves. It would require strong evidence for the notion that ENDS somehow increases smoking or leaves it unchanged. No such evidence currently exists.

THR CAN SAVE LIVES

THR products can prevent tobacco-related deaths, by replacing cigarettes:

David Levy et al. projected that a strategy of replacing cigarette smoking with vaping e-cigarettes would yield substantial life years gained, even under pessimistic assumptions regarding cessation, initiation and relative harm.
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Ken Warner and Mendez concluded that potential life years gained as a result of vaping-induced smoking cessation are projected to exceed potential life-years lost. In the most likely of several simulations they ran, nearly 3.3 million life-years could be saved by the year 2070.
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THR IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE

Anecdotal evidence from thousands of ex-smokers confirms how their quality of life improved once they quit smoking, with the help of THR products.

Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) Blog archives; 2020.
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World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) testimonials of ex-smokers on how vaping is not a gateway to smoking, and that flavours help millions of people to avoid relapsing to smoking.
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THR PROVIDES ECONOMIC BENEFITS

Smoking cessation provides clear economic benefits.
Tobacco Harm Reduction can lead to a range of economic benefits.