Worth Reading: The scientific foundation for tobacco harm reduction (THR)

Vocalek;3977906 said:

This article, recently published in the Harm Reduction Journal is definitely worth reading.

http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/pdf/1477-7517-8-19.pdf

Those of you who are new to this arena may not realize that e-cigarettes are just one tool that can be used to reduce the harm caused by smoking. Any non-combusted form of nicotine is less hazardous than inhaling smoke. Options would include e-cigarettes, snus, dissolvable tobacco products (orbs, strips, sticks) and even NRTs used long term. The concept is known as tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) and it is not warmly embraced by those working in tobacco control. They want us to have two choices:

A - Abstinence only, from all tobacco products.
C - Continue smoking -- kill yourself, see if we care.

They don't want us to have option

B - Better tobacco products

We call this the "Quit or Die" mentality.

Dr. Brad Rodu of the University of Louisville looks at where the science has led between 2006 and 2011. The folks who don't want you to have Option B are pretty much ignoring the science, even though they have "MD" and/or "PhD" or even "MPH" behind their names. Sometimes they make up their own science and get it published by their buddies running such medical journals as Tobacco Control, JAMA, and NEJM. And unfortunately, these are the folks driving the bus at the moment.

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