Vapeboss – Alternative tobacco products such as heated tobacco products, nicotine pouches, and e-cigarettes can be a solution to reduce smoking prevalence. The reason is that these products apply the concept of harm reduction, which can reduce the risks associated with cigarettes.

This was discussed in an article written by two former World Health Organization (WHO) officials, Professor Robert Beaglehole and Professor Ruth Bonito, titled "Tobacco Control: getting to the finish line," published in the global health journal, Lancet Group. The article revealed that the current tobacco control measures are not effective in reducing the number of smokers worldwide.

Globally, the number of smokers has not changed. Currently, only 30 percent of countries worldwide are on track to achieve the WHO's target of reducing adult smoking rates by 2030.

"The number of smokers globally is declining much slower than anticipated," the article stated, as quoted from prnewswire.com, Thursday (6/4/2023).

According to Robert and Ruth, the failure of the World Health Organization's (WHO) strategy to reduce the number of smokers is due to its exclusion of the concept of tobacco harm reduction. Most people smoke because they are addicted to nicotine.

Therefore, this concept aims to reduce the risks associated with cigarette consumption by encouraging adult smokers who find it difficult to quit their habit to switch to alternative tobacco products as a nicotine delivery tool that has a lower risk profile than cigarettes.

"Unfortunately, WHO rejects the concept of harm reduction. This opposition is not based on 21st-century technological advancements and is too influenced by vested interests promoting anti-nicotine stances," the article stated.

On another occasion, Amaliya, an academic from the Faculty of Dentistry at Padjadjaran University, said that alternative tobacco products deserve to be prioritized as an option for adult smokers to get nicotine because they have been scientifically proven to have a lower risk profile.

This was also demonstrated through a clinical study conducted by Amaliya with Agus Susanto and Jimmy Gunawan, titled "Gum Response in Vaping (E-cigarette) Users During Induced Gum Inflammation (Experimental Gingivitis)."

"The results of this study prove that e-cigarette users who have quit smoking show an improvement in gum quality, evidenced by inflammation and gum bleeding levels similar to those experienced by non-smokers. This means that the gum defense condition of e-cigarette users has returned to normal," Amaliya said on Thursday (6/4/2023).

With these facts, the government should maximize the use of this product to reduce smoking prevalence and improve public health. Alternative tobacco products can be a complementary solution to various programs and efforts that the government has implemented so far.

"Given the existing scientific evidence, the government should be more open to recognizing the risk profile of alternative tobacco products and utilizing them optimally," Amaliya explained.