The goal of harm reduction is to reduce the adverse effects of a certain activity. Classic examples of harm reduction are seat belts or cycling helmets. They don’t make driving perfectly safe but reduce the potential harm drastically. The reason why they work is that they are practical. A total driving ban would decrease the risk of driving the most, but it is just unrealistic. That is why we try to make driving as safe as possible. Harm Reduction means putting practical solutions first instead of idealized goals which don’t work in practice.
When it comes to tobacco harm reduction, vaping is the best-case example for it. Total abstinence would be the idealized goal of many, but also highly unrealistic. We clearly see there is a demand for nicotine consumption. That is the reason why we see millions of smokers worldwide. What vaping does is separate the most harmful components of smoking from nicotine consumption. While it is not entirely risk-free, it is way less harmful than smoking. So every smoker switching to vaping reduces their personal risk.
Is vaping less harmful than smoking?
Yes, and there are well over 100 organizations & government institutions that agree that vaping is less harmful than smoking. The Safer Nicotine Wiki team compiled a list of many of these organizations. Additionally, CASAA, a US-based vaping consumer organization, provides an extensive list of research on vaping here.
Does vaping help smokers quit?
Yes, a new systematic evidence review including 78 completed studies (representing 22,052 participants) from the health NGO Cochrane confirmed that vaping helps smokers to quit. Cochrane systematic reviews are recognized globally as the gold standard in health evidence.
How should vaping be regulated?
What we need is risk-based regulation. Vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking
and, therefore, must not be treated the same way. Less harmful alternatives should be less regulated than the most harmful product on the market – cigarettes. WVA’s suggestion for the Tobacco Products Directive update can be found here: WVA’s Vaping Products Directive
Below are the most relevant studies compiled in the following areas:
Snus:
The use of snus has surpassed the smoking of combustible cigarettes in Sweden. Sweden is on the way to becoming the first country to reach the smoke-free goal, with a current smoking rate of 5.6%. Even though the total nicotine consumption in Sweden is within a similar range to other European countries, smoking-related mortality is much lower.
Key facts:
Nicotine Pouches:
Nicotine pouches are the newest smoking alternative and, therefore, not yet adequately regulated in many countries. Currently, they are either unregulated, entirely banned or treated the same as cigarettes in most countries — and none of these alternatives are optimal. With consumer-friendly regulation, nicotine pouches could be a cornerstone of our strive toward smoke-free goals.
Key facts:
Vaping has the potential to ensure 200 million smokers quit forever, but governments must encourage and facilitate it as a cessation method Now more than ever, it is vital that vapers’ voices are heard. to low-risk nicotine products such as vaping.
That’s why we’re taking our campaign out on the road, across Europe and around the world. We need to ensure that those making the key decisions that will affect OUR rights, OUR health and OUR futures, hear OUR collective voice and ‘Back Vaping. Beat Smoking.’