Tobacco Harm Reduction: a pilar of public health facing controversies
Are smoking cessation and smoking prevention adequate policies to prevent and reverse the smoking epidemic? Should Tobacco Harm Reduction policies be assumed as complementary to smoking cessation and smoking prevention in order to fight to smoking epidemic? 17 years following the introduction of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the prevalence of smoking is falling but the number of smokers is growing! E-cigarettes and novel tobacco products appear to have lower risk of exposure to toxicants leading to cancer and cardiovascular disease. Based on the current literature Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and Heat Not Burn Tobacco products have reduced risk potential for public health, compared to conventional cigarettes. The exact level of risk reduction is inevitably uncertain. Additional long-term studies are needed to establish the preliminary findings, but both are promising harm reduction agents for smokers that fail or are unwilling to quit smoking. Piotr Kuna will present evidence to support the discussion that Tobacco Harm Reduction should be assumed as a pilar of public health interventions.
Chair: Anastasia Barbouni
Speaker: Piotr Kuna
Speakers
