Tabakkonsum: Was ist das und wie kann der Schaden gemindert werden?

Abstract

The cultural history of tobacco in the Western world starts with its discovery by Columbus in 1492. The actual debate on harm and harm re duction lacks sufficient definitions in the sense that substance and forms of use are mixed up and not allowed analogy conclusions were drawn. The harm of the actual predominant form of tobacco use, the smoking of cigarettes, doesn’t stem directly from the tobacco, but from the form of use and the nicotine addiction related to tobacco use isn’t the main harm. From this several strategies of harm reduction can be formulated, starting with smoking less to modification of tobacco content and combustion products, up to replacement of the form of use by oral forms of use.