Bangladesh, India and Thailand are examples of increasing smoking rates. Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Japan are achieving positive results using alternative tobacco products.

Together – In the context of combating diseases resulting from smoking, governments of countries take many measures that aim to reduce these health damages and protect societies and citizens. Despite this, smoking rates are increasing in many countries of the world, as a result of adopting unscientific policies.

Bangladesh, India and Thailand are examples of increasing smoking rates. Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Japan are achieving positive results using alternative tobacco products.

Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated countries, is a model for what many countries in the world are witnessing, as it witnesses a continuous increase in the number of smokers, which results in an increase in the rates of diseases associated with smoking, most notably cancer, in addition to the high ra
tes of death resulting from smoking.

Statistics and reports indicate that about 126,000 people die annually due to diseases related to traditional smoking in Bangladesh, which represents about 13.5% of the total deaths in the country. In addition to the huge economic burden resulting from health care costs related to tobacco-related diseases, which represent about 1.4% of the country’s gross domestic product. More than 7 million adults in Bangladesh suffer from smoking-related diseases, in addition to 61,000 children being exposed to diseases resulting from passive smoking, according to the results of research conducted by the Bangladesh Cancer Society in 2019.

Dr Fazliye Kibera Chowdhury, Consultant Pulmonologist and Respiratory Medicine at Evercare Hospital, Chittagong, said that combating smoking requires a comprehensive, science-based approach to control the health damage and deaths caused by it. He stressed the need for a precise strategy that goes beyond the traditional strategy to address the complex
ities of addiction that tobacco consumption can cause.

In the same context, a recent report published by the world-leading medical journal The Lancet, prepared by Robert Beaglehole and Ruth Bonita, both former officials at the World Health Organization, on the effectiveness of alternative products in achieving positive results in combating smoking, called for the need to adopt a ‘harm reduction’ strategy as a central focus within the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, alongside measures to reduce supply and demand, stressing that these modern ‘low-risk’ products have brought about a major shift in the current battle to reduce smoking-related death rates, and have helped to quit consuming traditional tobacco products.

The strategy of ‘reducing risks’ using alternative tobacco products has achieved positive results in many countries around the world, including Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Japan, where each of them witnessed a record decline in the number of smokers, thanks to
the ability of adult smokers to access alternatives that may be lower in risk to traditional cigarettes.

In a related context, tobacco products are not similar in their characteristics, features or consequences of consumption, which emphasizes the need to distinguish between the various types of alternative smoking products at the level of legislators and consumers alike, in order to be able to enact appropriate legislative, regulatory and supervisory policies, in line with the risk rates associated with each of them, noting that the confusion between these products is one of the reasons for the slowness in introducing appropriate and effective monitoring mechanisms, as traditional cigarettes are classified as the ‘most toxic’ due to their reliance on combustion, which produces many harmful chemical compounds that cause many diseases, while products that heat tobacco instead of burning it, and electronic cigarettes, belong to the group of smoke-free alternative products with lower levels of harmful substance
s compared to traditional products.

The biggest difference between these two categories lies in the components of each; e-cigarettes rely on a liquid containing nicotine, while heated tobacco products rely on heating the tobacco instead of burning it, which makes them less harmful because the burning process is eliminated.

According to the World Health Organization, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products contain nicotine, which has not been proven to cause smoking-related diseases, although it can lead to addiction. However, they differ from each other in composition; heated tobacco products consist of short-length tobacco sticks and produce an aerosol containing less nicotine than traditional cigarettes, while e-cigarettes consist of solutions of aromatic oils with about 15,500 flavors used, many of which are toxic and cause health effects, and can cause fires and explosions, in addition to the possibility of mixing with other substances within the solutions. Although they are not completely risk-free, e
xtensive scientific research indicates that they are 90% less risky than traditional tobacco products.

Experts stressed that quitting is always the best option, and despite the differences between alternative products and traditional cigarettes, it is still necessary to combat tobacco among young people. They called for adherence to regulations regarding alternative products, which is of utmost importance, which also requires ensuring that no products are marketed to non-smokers, especially young people, and that strict safety measures and tobacco control policies remain comprehensive. They stressed that by relying on the scientific approach, adopting innovative harm reduction policies, along with adhering to traditional tobacco control measures, Bangladesh can join the global fight against smoking-related non-communicable diseases and cancer.

In their report, the experts noted that statistics for the year 2019 revealed that 4.7 million deaths in the Asia-Pacific region were due to smoking, calling for the
need to take immediate measures to reduce these risks, in addition to the need to continuously update strategies to fill current knowledge gaps.

It is also worth noting that while some countries have made significant progress in combating smoking, many others are still suffering from a worsening crisis despite joining the World Health Organization, such as Thailand and India, where the core of the problem lies in recognizing and understanding the real challenge of traditional cigarette consumption, which requires focusing on changing this behavior, rather than adopting a comprehensive approach to all forms of tobacco consumption. It also requires policymakers to be careful in this regard, so as not to inadvertently contribute to the increase and escalation of the smoking scourge.

‘We must advocate for a science-based approach, not conventional policies,’ concludes Dr Fazliye Kibera Chowdhury. ‘Eliminating combustible cigarette consumption by 2035 is an achievable goal, provided policymakers show the courage
to adopt innovative solutions, while immediate cessation for smokers and never engaging in smoking for non-smokers remains the best option.’

If they do not want to quit smoking, low-risk alternative products can give them the opportunity to live a healthier life.

Source: Maan News Agency