Tobacco harm reduction: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Public health strategy to lower health risks of tobacco use}}

{{Expand Greek|Μείωση της βλάβης από το κάπνισμα|date=November 2016}}

'''Tobacco harm reduction''' ('''THR''') is a [[public health]] strategy to lower the [[Health effects of tobacco|health risks to individuals and wider society]] associated with using [[tobacco products]]. It is an example of the concept of [[harm reduction]], a strategy for dealing with the use of drugs. [[Tobacco smoking]] is widely acknowledged as a [[Leading cause of death|leading cause of illness and death]],<ref name="Nitzkin2014">{{cite journal |author=Nitzkin, J |date=June 2014 |title=The Case in Favor of E-Cigarettes for Tobacco Harm Reduction |journal=[[International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health]] |publisher=[[MDPI]] |volume=11 |issue=6 |pages=6459–71 |doi=10.3390/ijerph110606459 |pmc=4078589 |pmid=25003176 |quote=A carefully structured Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) initiative, with e-cigarettes as a prominent THR modality, added to current tobacco control programming, is the most feasible policy option likely to substantially reduce tobacco-attributable illness and death in the United States over the next 20 years. |doi-access=free |s2cid=19155518}}</ref> and reducing smoking is vital to public health.<ref name="Harm Reduct. J.">{{cite journal |last1=Rodu |first1=B. |last2=Plurphanswat |first2=N. |date=January 2021 |title=Mortality among male cigar and cigarette smokers in the USA |journal=[[Harm Reduction Journal]] |publisher=[[BioMed Central]] |volume=18 |issue=7 |page=7 |doi=10.1186/s12954-020-00446-4 |doi-access=free |lccn=2004243422 |pmc=7789747 |pmid=33413424 |s2cid=230800394 }}</ref><ref name="BMC Publ. Health">{{cite journal |last1=Chang |first1=Cindy M |last2=Corey |first2=Catherine G |last3=Rostron |first3=Brian L |last4=Apelberg |first4=Benjamin J |title=Systematic review of cigar smoking and all cause and smoking related mortality |journal=BMC Public Health |date=December 2015 |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=390 |doi=10.1186/s12889-015-1617-5 |pmid=25907101 |pmc=4408600 |s2cid=16482278 }}</ref><ref name="IJERPH 2009">{{cite journal |last=Laniado-Laborín |first=Rafael |date=January 2009 |title=Smoking and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Parallel Epidemics of the 21st Century |journal=[[International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health]] |publisher=[[MDPI]] |volume=6 |issue=1: ''Smoking and Tobacco Control'' |doi=10.3390/ijerph6010209 |pages=209–224 |doi-access=free |pmc=2672326 |pmid=19440278 |s2cid=19615031 }}</ref><ref name="who.int">{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/health-topics/tobacco#tab=tab_1 |url-status=live |title=Health topics: Tobacco |date=2021 |website=www.who.int |publisher=[[World Health Organization]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813230009if_/https://www.who.int/health-topics/tobacco#tab=tab_1 |archive-date=13 August 2021 |access-date=18 August 2021}}</ref><ref name="J. Periodontol.">{{cite journal |last1=Albandar |first1=Jasim M. |last2=Adensaya |first2=Margo R. |last3=Streckfus |first3=Charles F. |last4=Winn |first4=Deborah M. |date=December 2000 |title=Cigar, Pipe, and Cigarette Smoking as Risk Factors for Periodontal Disease and Tooth Loss |journal=[[Journal of Periodontology]] |publisher=[[American Academy of Periodontology]] |volume=71 |issue=12 |pages=1874–1881 |doi=10.1902/jop.2000.71.12.1874 |pmid=11156044 |s2cid=11598500}}</ref>

 

 

[[Nicotine]] itself, however, is addictive but not otherwise very harmful, as shown by the long history of people safely using nicotine replacement therapy products (e.g., [[nicotine gum]], [[nicotine patch]]).<ref name="Fagerstrom2014">{{cite journal |author=Fagerström, KO, Bridgman, K |date=March 2014 |title=Tobacco harm reduction: The need for new products that can compete with cigarettes |journal=Addictive Behaviors |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=507–511 |doi=10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.11.002 |pmid=24290207 |quote=The need for more appealing, licensed nicotine products capable of competing with cigarettes sensorially, pharmacologically and behaviourally is considered by many to be the way forward. |doi-access=free}}</ref> Nicotine increases heart rate and blood pressure and has a range of local irritant effects but does not cause cancer.<ref>{{cite web|title=IARC Monographs- Classifications|url=http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/|website=monographs.iarc.fr|publisher=International Agency for Research on Cancer|access-date=18 April 2017}}</ref> None of the three main causes of death from smoking—[[lung cancer]], [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]] (COPD) (including [[emphysema]] and [[Bronchitis#Chronic bronchitis|chronic bronchitis]]), and [[cardiovascular diseases]]—is caused primarily by nicotine; the main reason smoking is deadly is the toxic mix of chemicals in smoke from combustion (burning) of tobacco. Products that can effectively and acceptably deliver nicotine without smoke have the potential to be less harmful than smoked tobacco. THR measures have been focused on reducing or eliminating the use of combustible tobacco by switching to other nicotine products, including: