Harm Reduction Can Save Lives
Tobacco harm reduction policies could save 280,000 lives in Czechia, according to new report released by campaign group Smoke Free Sweden
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by Dave Cross
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Improved tobacco harm reduction measures, including better access to nicotine alternatives such as vaping products, could save up to 280,000 lives in Czechia, according to a major new report. The new study by the leading international public health experts, titled Tobacco harm reduction and better treatment of lung cancer, highlights how the deadly toll of tobacco could be massively reduced by incorporating tobacco harm reduction measures into public health policymaking.
Smoke Free Sweden says that while the World Health Organization (WHO) forecasts a modest decline in smoking prevalence in Czechia, from 30% to 26.5% by 2025, smoking still claims 17,600 lives annually in the country.
Moreover, the organisation adds, Czechia boasts a female smoking rate of 26%, “which is one of the highest in the world. This has resulted in an extremely high lung cancer death rate among Czech women, which is almost double the death rate for breast cancer.”
Dr Derek Yach, one of the authors of the report, said: “The slight decrease in Czechia’s smoking rates is failing to halt thousands of unnecessary premature deaths in the country. It is crucial that policymakers take positive action.
“Our report shows that integrating less harmful alternatives, such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, into Czechia’s harm reduction framework has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives.”
Smoke Free Sweden states that countries such as Sweden and Japan “serve as powerful examples of what pragmatic tobacco harm reduction policies can achieve”.
Sweden, for instance, is on track to reach a 5% smoking rate this year, a threshold at which the country is considered smoke free. A key factor in the success of both Sweden and Japan is the availability of less harmful alternative products.
Dr Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden and co-author of the report, said: “Our message to the Czech government is clear. Existing harm reduction strategies must be strengthened with proven harm reduction strategies. By making less harmful alternative products more accessible, acceptable and affordable to people who smoke, policymakers now have a prime opportunity to save 280,000 lives.”
The report points out that tobacco harm reduction won’t just help Czechia: “Our reports show by integrating tobacco harm reduction into standard tobacco control measures, countries can drastically cut smoking-related deaths. Millions of lives can potentially be saved through less harmful smoke-free nicotine alternatives.
“The countries shown in figure 4 include a population of 897 million people, with a significant number of adults who smoke. If these countries were to embrace THR, better cessation, and more effective treatment for lung cancer, we estimate that 5.47 million lives would be saved over the next decades. Note these are over and above lives to be saved by continuing with WHO’s current programs alone, up to 2060.”
Resources:
- Smoke Free Sweden - https://smokefreesweden.org/
- Tobacco harm reduction and better treatment of lung cancer - https://ahra.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Czechia-Lives-Saved-2024.pdf
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
