Smoke-free future: How Sweden inspired the world to use nicotine alternatives?

Ramallah - Ma'an - Sweden continues to inspire the medical and scientific community with its pioneering experience towards a smoke-free future, focusing its efforts on eliminating traditional tobacco and promoting the use of less-risky nicotine alternatives. This strategy, which Sweden has followed for years, has yielded clear positive results in the field of public health, as smoking rates have decreased by 55% over the past decade, contributing to a significant reduction in the health risks associated with smoking. For example, Sweden has witnessed a 41% decrease in cancer cases and a 38% decrease in deaths resulting from it compared to other European countries. According to Charlie Weimers, a Swedish member of the European Parliament, the World Health Organization is preparing to classify Sweden as the first smoke-free country in Europe, which raises an important question: Why haven't other countries adopted this effective model? In an article by Dr. Gabriel Oke, a Nigerian biomedical doctor, the need for Nigeria to adopt effective models to reduce traditional tobacco smoking to address the serious health damages associated with it is highlighted. Nigeria is suffering from a huge toll due to diseases caused by traditional tobacco, with an estimated 30,000 people losing their lives in 2022 alone. According to the Global Status Report on Tobacco Harm Reduction, an estimated 4.5 million Nigerians, or 4.1% of adults, are current smokers. Dr. Aoki emphasized that implementing the Swedish model of tobacco harm reduction is not just an option, but an urgent necessity. This strategy has the potential to save many lives and move towards a smoke-free future, as the availability of less-risky nicotine alternatives is associated with lower cancer rates and mortality. Aoki believes that Sweden is taking a progressive approach by using smoke-free chewing tobacco products and promoting multiple alternatives to traditional cigarettes. Sweden is the only country in Europe where chewing tobacco is legal, and 18% of the Swedish population consumes it. Awareness campaigns and educational initiatives play a pivotal role in changing perceptions and reducing stigma associated with LRS products, Oke explains. This requires training healthcare professionals to recognize and recommend these alternatives as effective tools for smoking cessation. Nigeria should emulate this approach by launching awareness campaigns and educational initiatives, as well as targeted messaging aimed at removing the stigma surrounding LRS. Through these efforts, Nigeria can improve public health outcomes and move toward a future free of tobacco-related diseases. Aoki also points out that pricing of alternative nicotine products should reflect the level of risk associated with them, so that safer alternatives are cheaper than traditional cigarettes. High taxes on less risky products may discourage smokers from switching to options such as e-cigarettes, maintaining the status quo of high rates of traditional smoking and the health risks it brings. Pricing policie s should therefore be designed to incentivize smokers to choose less risky alternatives, which will improve public health. Recent research shows the effectiveness of tobacco replacement products, with 60% of respondents believing that nicotine replacement therapy is the most effective, while 26.7% believe that e-cigarettes are the best option. 73.3% of respondents believe that nicotine replacements are safer than traditional cigarettes, while 48.3% share the same opinion regarding e-cigarettes. Also, 70.8% agreed that these alternatives help in quitting smoking, however, there is still a lack of awareness about the addictive nature of these alternatives and their effectiveness in achieving complete cessation. In this context, studies indicate that the use of alternative products such as electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco, nicotine pouches, and others may contribute to achieving complete smoking cessation. Although these products are less dangerous, they are not completely risk-free. Experts agree that ni cotine itself is not the main cause of smoking-related diseases, but rather exposure to toxic substances resulting from burning tobacco is the main factor causing these diseases. Therefore, the best option remains to completely quit smoking and nicotine together. Source: Maan News Agency