Barriers in the use of nicotine as a tobacco harm reduction tool

Abstract

At the beginning of the 21st century the scientific and technological advancement forced a change in the way of thinking about nicotine; it also enabled the harmfulness of various types of nicotine delivery products to be analysed, which constitutes an essential step towards the determination of the continuum of risk of tobacco products. The availability of products with various levels of harmfulness enables one to take a complete set of actions towards smokers which include both those aiming at complete smoking cessation and those based on the idea of harm reduction, i.e. the protection of third parties from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke and risk minimisation for individuals who are not able to quit nicotine completely. Harm reduction actions are hampered by a number of barriers: (a) stereotypes regarding the harmfulness of e-cigarettes, (b) imperfect legislation and market regulation, (c) lack of trust and dialogue between the key groups which influence the nicotine products market and (d) unused potential of financial motivation in tobacco users. In the 21st century one billion people can die prematurely as a result of smoking-related diseases. In order to prevent this, it is essential to remove the barriers mentioned above, take advantage of the complete spectrum of the latest research on nicotine and reduced-risk nicotine products and take all available measures, including harm reduction techniques.