December 2021 Newsletter

The December 2021 issue focuses on nicotine, smoking harm, and tobacco harm reduction. The main article explains that nicotine is often misunderstood. While nicotine is addictive, it is not the main cause of cancer, lung disease, or most smoking-related deaths. The major danger comes from burning tobacco and inhaling smoke that contains thousands of toxic chemicals.

The newsletter explains that nicotine delivery matters. Smoking delivers nicotine very quickly and strongly reinforces dependence. Vaping and nicotine replacement therapy usually deliver nicotine more slowly and are generally considered less dependence-forming than smoking.

The issue also discusses Pakistan’s need for better cessation services and harm reduction policy. It notes that e-cigarettes are already being used in Pakistan, mostly in urban areas, but prices are high and regulation is unclear. The newsletter argues that Pakistan should make cessation services more affordable and include harm reduction in national tobacco control policy.

Other sections discuss New Zealand’s plan to ban cigarette sales for future generations, the use of less harmful alternatives as a first step toward better health for smokers, evidence that vaping may help heavy smokers quit, and the need for WHO to consider tobacco harm reduction as part of its public health approach.