“ WE MUST MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR CURRENT ADULT SMOKERS WHO STILL SEEK NICOTINE TO GET IT FROM ALTERNATIVE AND LESS HARMFUL SOURCES .”
“ RESEARCH IS NEEDED ON RELATIVE RISKS OF HEATED TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO USERS AND THOSE AROUND THEM COMPARED WITH CIGARETTES AND E-CIGARETTES .”
The COT report also reads , “ There is a likely reduction in risk for smokers switching to heat-not-burn tobacco products , [ but ] a risk remains and it would be more beneficial for smokers to quit smoking entirely . A reduction in risk would be expected to be experienced by bystanders where smokers switch to heat-not-burn tobacco products . It is currently not possible to quantify this risk . Heat-not-burn tobacco products are new and there is insufficient data available to enable a full assessment .”
The COT concluded : “ Overall … there are toxicological risks from novel heat-not-burn tobacco products though data on impacts to human health is very limited . Compared with the known risks from conventional cigarettes , they are probably less harmful . Even so , smokers would do better to quit entirely .”
Deborah Arnott , chief executive of the anti-smoking health charity Ash , endorsed the view that the healthiest option was to quit tobacco entirely . Quoted in The Guardian newspaper she said , “ The COT review is welcome as an independent assessment of tobacco industry evidence on heat-not-burn products . COT concluded that while heat-not-burn products are lower risk than smoking they are not risk-free , so quitting tobacco use completely is still the healthiest option .”
PHE also responded to the COT report . Rosanna O ’ Connor , director of drugs , alcohol and tobacco said , “ We welcome the committee ’ s report and agree that as yet there is not enough independent evidence on the risks … yet acknowledge that available evidence suggests they are less harmful than smoking but not risk free . Heat-not-burn tobacco products are not the same as e-cigarettes and we are pleased that the committee will soon be looking at e-cigarettes . There is a large amount of evidence that shows vaping is much less harmful than smoking – at least 95 % – and we encourage smokers to try e-cigarettes as a way of stopping smoking . People who combine e-cigarettes with support from their local stop smoking service have some of the highest quit success rates .”
US Food and Drugs Administration ( FDA ) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a March 15 statement that , “ tackling tobacco use and cigarette smoking in particular ,” was one of the most important actions he could take to advance public health .
His statement said , “ Nicotine , while highly addictive , is delivered through products on a continuum of risk , and that in order to successfully address cigarette addiction , we must make it possible for current adult smokers who still seek nicotine to get it from alternative and less harmful sources . To that end , the agency ’ s regulation of both novel nicotine delivery products such as e-cigarettes and traditional tobacco products will encourage the innovation of less harmful products while still ensuring that all tobacco products are put through an appropriate series of regulatory gates to maximize any public health benefits and minimize their harms . This will be achieved through our ongoing regulatory work to develop several foundational rules , guidances , product standards and other regulations .”
Five days following that statement , that “ ongoing work ” brought about another press release . On March 20 , as this issue was going to press , Dr Gottlieb announced the FDA will investigate the impact flavours have on smokers , while he also acknowledged the role flavours may be playing in encouraging smokers to transition to e-cigarettes .
He said , “ I ’ ve talked to ex-smokers , who ’ ve told me that they quit cigarettes altogether and that they now vape … [ they ] told me it was the flavours that helped them make that transition .”
On this side of the Atlantic , novel tobacco products such as heated tobacco products are already being sold in UK vape shops and this trend looks set to continue .
Although Premier E-Cigs do not currently sell such products , owner Pete Savage , told Vapouround the conversation on heated tobacco must happen . “ Heat-not-burn could be a way of reaching the most stubborn , addicted smokers who don ’ t want to switch straight away . It might even be an extra step in smoking cessation : smoking then heat-not-burn then vaping . We ’ ll have no choice but to talk about heat-not-burn in the coming years . However , we can ’ t make solid predictions now because there ’ s just not enough research yet .”
Those businesses who stock them say they are giving customers maximum choice to totally give up smoking traditional cigarettes while other vape shop owners , like The Puffin Hut owner Helen Seward , are less enthusiastic . Helen says while further research is essential , many vape shop owners don ’ t want an unwelcome comparison made between tobacco and vaping .
“ Many in the vaping industry don ’ t know much about tobacco products in detail but we do know vapour products and we know how much time and effort has gone into making sure people know how different they are . We don ’ t want this hazy , unwelcome equivalence between tobacco and vaping being made . As a newer product , heat-not-burn hasn ’ t been subjected to the same scrutiny as e-liquids have . I haven ’ t seen much on these new products , but we know that some harm is caused and more testing needs to be done . ‘ Better than combustible smoking ’ isn ’ t a good enough standard by itself , now that we know how much better vaping is already .”
There are many vapers out there who are dual users and PHE is aware that more needs to be done to get these people totally off smoking .
The latest report said , “ All smokers should be supported to stop smoking completely , including ‘ dual users ’ who smoke and use e-cigarettes . More research is needed into different patterns of e-cigarette use while smoking and their effect on subsequent smoking behaviour to understand how best to move dual users to stop smoking .”
It seems clear that the issue of novel tobacco and heated tobacco products will become increasingly prevalent in the whole arena of providing alternative nicotine delivery systems to smokers .
Whatever your personal views may be on this subject , it is a knowledge area about which you should be aware , especially when it comes to helping smokers make informed decisions to help them quit traditional cigarettes .
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