Nicotine Pouches as a cigarette alternative - Enlightenment could promote smoking stop

Every year, the World No Tobacco Day highlights the harmful effects of tobacco cigarettes. The potential of alternative nicotine products also comes to light - it is about the cigarettes replacement and a successful stop of smoking. How the scientific director of the Nicotine Institute in Vienna talks about Nicotine bags and their positive effects in his daily work with smokers who want to quit, you can find out here. You also read how the Enlightenment for cigarettes alternatives could help reduce smoking rates.

World No Tobacco Day on May 31st

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the World No Tobacco day in 1987. Since then, it has taken place every year on May 31. In the course of this, the Nicotine Institute, an education center founded in Vienna in 1998, also meets one of its important functions - namely promoting more awareness of the possible health damage due to tobacco smoke and the education for cigarette alternatives.

Encourage the Desire to stop smoking vs. prohibition policy

Although more than half of all over 50 years old want a smoke stop, only very few actually reach to reduce their cigarette consumption. Apparently a lot has been done in the past to reduce the smoking quota. But are prohibitions and restrictions - which have been politically forced for several years - truly the best way? If not, how would it run better?

For Univ.-Doz. Dr. Ernest Groman, scientific director of the Nicotine Institute in Vienna, it´s a clear mission of politics to finally create such framework conditions which resonant smokers support when they wish for a smoke stop. In his opinion, condemning the no longer desired habit of smokers within a rigorous prohibition policy would be the wrong way.

“In der Medizin gibt es vielfach erprobte und erfolgversprechende Lösungsansätze, die den Rauchstopp unterstützen. Allen gemeinsam ist, dass sie den Verzicht auf die Tabakzigarette erleichtern. ”

, Groman says.

Such a "making easier" promotion - especially with framework conditions that simplify access to the promising solutions - and not just to force the waiver of cigarettes, could be therefore probably the more promising way for a successful smoke stop. Groman even goes as far to say, that cigarette alternatives in practice are much more promising than politically motivated bans.

Scandinavian solution for cigarettes replacement

The smoking rate in Sweden is lower than in any other EU country. Sweden is even the first country in the European Union, that is de facto smoke-free. And also in Norway, the proportion of smoking daily is less than ten percent. Groman explains the reason for this:

"Beide Länder haben ein gemeinsames Erfolgsrezept: Die Rauchenden greifen vermehrt zu weniger schädlichen Alternativen, die ihnen helfen den Zigarettenkonsum zu beenden, und sie gleichzeitig ausreichend mit Nikotin versorgen."

Such "less harmful alternatives" include Snus. In Sweden, they have a long tradition and can even be sold legally. In an online article by "Der Spiegel" that was launched last year it´s called, that more than 20 percent of men and 7 percent of women in the country would use Snus every day and Sweden's secret in the fight against cigarettes would be solved that way.*

The Scandinavia solution for a cigarette replacement has now also arrived in other EU countries - although not yet as much spread as in Sweden or Norway. And although tobacco-containing Snus in other EU countries isn´t allowed not placed commercially on the market and can only be introduced for private purposes in small quantities, tobacco-free nicotine bags can be purchased legally.

With regard to the daily work of the Nicotine Institute, Groman confirms that these cigarettes alternative can actually be effective if there is a smoking stop intended:

“In unserer täglichen Arbeit mit aufhörwilligen Raucherinnen und Rauchern wird uns ebenfalls berichtet, dass Hilfsmittel wie zum Beispiel E-Zigaretten, Tabakerhitzer oder tabakfreie Nikotinbeutel helfen, die Zahl der gerauchten Zigaretten zu reduzieren sowie in weiterer Folge oft zum kompletten Verzicht auf die klassische Tabakzigarette führen. Eine gute Unterstützung liefern auch Nikotinersatzproukte, die rezeptfrei in der Apotheke erhältlich sind. ”

*See: https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/medizin/schweden-wird-rauchfrei-als-erstes-land-der-welt-a-cc5ebcd5-3a1c-431a-8c55-7e4d87f3fad5

Are Nicotine Pouches the best cigarettes alternative?

In what point could one speak of the best alternative? And that there are many others - as they are used in particular in the case of nicotine replacement therapy - would then also be excluded. You will be well advised if all opportunities, for those who want to quit smoking, are considered.

But, what advantages the Snus-Format could actually offer comparing to other alternatives, you read here:

Are Nicotine Pouches considered a healthy alternative to cigarettes?

The healthy alternative is certainly to give up smoking without continuing to consume nicotine in a different form. Because Nicotine Pouches do not damage the lungs and are also free of carcinogenic (carcinogenic) tobacco -specific nitrosamines, this cigarette replacement is considered less harmful to the general understanding.

Enlightenment to cigarettes Alternative promotes smoking stop

A survey by the Think tank network "We Are Innovation" suggests that a majority of those who smoke worldwide still believe that vaping is at least as harmful as smoking. Containing 28 worldwide countries, this is even 74 percent. In Brazil, the Netherlands, Slovenia or Kazakhstan, this value is even 80 percent. And even in France, Great Britain and the Czech Republic, it´s over 60 percent.*

Groman says:

“Diese Umfrage zeigt, wie wichtig eine transparente Informationspolitik und eine flächendeckende Aufklärung für die Bevölkerung sind, um dem Ziel einer rauchfreien Gesellschaft näher zu kommen. Informationssperren stabilisieren den herkömmlichen Tabakzigarettenmarkt. "

He therefore sees the key to success in targeted educational and information campaigns instead of in "information blocks" for alternative products.

Whether a survey for Snus would offer such results - is questionable. It seems blatant that those do not burden the lungs. But many are also not aware of any studies and actual figures - and if something like this remains hidden, you will be at least more skeptical.

* See: https://weareinnovation.global/documents/wai-ipsos-innovation-misperception-epidemic.pdf

Nicotine Pouches as a less harmful cigarettes alternative

A thesis from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, for example, took a detailed look at the comparison of the harmfulness of snus and cigarettes and attempted to record the current state of knowledge. The results on diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases and hand eczema, which are associated with both tobacco products, suggest that cigarettes would pose a greater health risk for 55.4% of all diseases examined. In contrast, snus consumption would pose a higher risk for 13.5% of the diseases. And in 31.1% of cases, both would pose an equal health risk.*

Such figures at least suggest that tobacco cigarettes carry a significantly greater risk for many diseases. And an SRF article comparing cigarette and snus consumption also states that “snus research shows risks, but far lower ones”.*1

Snus consumption, because it poses a risk of disease, should certainly not be trivialized. However, if it can be used to help quit smoking and, to a controlled extent, even enable a gradual reduction in the amount of nicotine consumed, then may Nicotine bag as a promising alternative for a smoke -free future apply.

* See also: https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/bitstream/11475/23511/1/Bachelorarbeit_KollerSeraina.pdf

*1 See: https://www.srf.ch/wissen/gesundheit/snus-tabak-im-teebeutel-in-schweden-wird-gesnust-statt-geraucht-ist-das-gesuender