Embrace Nicotine To Curb It, Says Tobacco Company

Source from:  South Africa News  05/30/2014

Embracing less risky forms of tobacco like the e-cigarette could curb tobacco use, said British American Tobacco's Director of Corporate & Regulatory Affairs, Kingsley Wheaton, on Thursday.

"For governments seeking to reduce tobacco use, we believe it's time for new, more progressive approaches to be considered. One such solution is to offer adult smokers a choice of substantially less risky products such as e-cigarettes," he said.

"This approach is what many refer to as 'Tobacco Harm Reduction'. However, for this to work Governments and the public health community need to embrace this concept and the products that support it."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that there are now one billion smokers across the globe and by 2050 this number could increase to 2.2 billion. According to Wheaton, declaring the e-cigarette a nicotine product could do more harm than good to these figures.

"If e-cigarettes are classified as tobacco products, then the associated regulatory hurdles will mean smokers will find it harder to access less risky alternatives – this can only be a bad thing for public health," said Wheaton.

"We hope the arguments being made by the scientific community, the industry and public health campaigners will demonstrate the need for policy makers to carefully consider the benefits of tobacco harm reduction and give it their full support."

British American Tobacco is currently developing a range of alternative tobacco and nicotine products including the launch of its first e-cigarette, Vype.

Wheaton's comments come ahead of World No Tobacco Day, on 31 May. The day is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. Enditem