Daily Times

The right to information is a fundamental consumer value, may it be any form of product; the benefit to the consumer has to be at the heart of it. Today’s consumer is increasingly health conscious, from food to skincare to health and work-life balance – every aspect of life is now a well thought out, researched and self-aware decision. There are more than 1 billion smokers worldwide. And while everyone knows the negative impact of smoking on health, not many know why or of a solution, if they can’t quit smoking.

A cigarette burns shredded tobacco leaves at temperatures in excess of 600 degrees, producing a complex mixture we call smoke. Cigarette smoke contains flavours from the tobacco blend, as well as nicotine, which exists naturally in tobacco leaves. It is these elements in the smoke that consumers enjoy while smoking.

However, the very same burning process that releases the tobacco flavours and nicotine also produces over 6,000 chemicals – of which about 100 have been identified as causes or potential causes of smoking-related diseases, such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and emphysema. As the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence states: “It is primarily the toxins and carcinogens in tobacco smoke – not the nicotine – that cause illness and death.”

With the advancements in science & research having identified wherein the real problem lies i.e. in the smoke produced during burning tobacco, as opposed to the nicotine, it is only logical that adult smokers who intend to continue the use of nicotine are made aware of the real issue at hand, so they can look for alternatives to cigarettes that do not involve burning. As stated by the UK Royal College of Physicians: “…if nicotine could be delivered effectively and acceptably to smokers without smoke, most if not all of the harm of smoking could probably be avoided.”

While the best choice is to never start smoking, there are adult smokers who cannot seem to be able to quit.

And they deserve better options. Especially keeping the above science front and centre, it was imperative that satisfying but less harmful alternatives to smoking be made available to consumers.

Extensive research and investment in the science and technology required has over the years led to the development of products which heat tobacco to provide the same experience as smoking, but with reduced risk, as the act of burning is eliminated from the process. This is known as the heat-not-burn category or smoke-free products. The UK committee of Toxicology, 2017 states “[I]t is likely that there is a reduction in risk, though not to zero, to health for smokers who switch completely to heat-not-burn tobacco products.”

The credible science and research backing reduced risk products should facilitate adult smokers who can’t quit, to switch to products which pose a reduced risk, thereby reduce the negative impacts to health through smoking. However, without proper information and access to alternatives, users will keep going back to smoking.

The writer can be reached at mobashirsandila555@gmail.com