Regulating heated tobacco products may reduce smokers' health risks

HTPs only heat tobacco up to certain temperatures, effectively eliminating the emission of harmful smoke and toxins

Despite knowing the disadvantages of smoking and the harmful effects it has on a person’s health, nine out of 10 smokers will continue smoking and up to two in three habitual smokers will die prematurely from a smoking-related illness.

Safer alternatives, such as, heated tobacco products (HTPs) are introduced to give addicted smokers a chance at improving their health. These products work on the heat-not-burn principle.

Compared to cigarettes, HTPs only heat the tobacco up to certain temperatures, effectively eliminating the emission of harmful smoke and toxins.

HTPs are mainly for adult smokers who would otherwise choose to continue to smoke. However, these tobacco products are not risk-free but according to studies, these smoke-free products carry far lower levels of harmful compounds than cigarettes.

It is also proven scientifically that if a smoker switches to HTPs from smoking, they are likely to have substantial improvements in their health.

Read Tobacco giant Philip Morris is paying people to help quit smoking

According to an annual update released by the UK’s Office for Health Improvements and Disparities, led by independent tobacco experts at King’s College London, vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking in the short and medium term, and there is significant lower exposure to harmful substances from vaping compared with smoking, as shown by biomarkers associated with the risk of cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.

These researchers reviewed more than 400 published studies from around the world on smoking and vaping and concluded that smokers should be encouraged to use vaping products (or medicinally licensed products) to stop smoking, or as alternative nicotine delivery devices to reduce the health harms of smoking.

There is some hope for smokers in Pakistan as the Federal Cabinet of Pakistan, at the request of the Ministry of Health, is set to regulate HTPs.

If the step is carried out responsibly, it can help significantly reduce many risks to the health of smokers and even phase out cigarettes eventually.

Moreover, regulating these products will also help curb the illicit trade of cigarettes and non-combusted alternatives.