How tobacco harm reduction could save Texans' lives

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced plans to ban sales of menthol cigarettes, kicking off a slippery slope to banning flavored tobacco harm reduction products like nicotine pouches and gum.  We have already seen states like Colorado move to ban all flavored nicotine products - not just menthol cigarettes or flavored vapes.

It is critical that Food and Drug Commissioner Robert Califf, as well as states looking to pass bills regarding tobacco and nicotine products, prioritize tobacco harm reduction policies. In short, harm reduction would help transition current combustible cigarette smokers to alternatives that are scientifically proven to cause less harm. It is widely accepted that one of the main reasons traditional cigarettes are especially harmful is the combustion needed to light the cigarette, as well as the carcinogens in the cigarettes themselves. These elements are removed for products like nicotine gum or lozenges.

If the government’s policies are meant to produce better health care outcomes - as they should be - then they must acknowledge the value these harm reduction products provide to transition smokers off cigarettes for good.

It is also important to acknowledge the science behind how flavored nicotine products help transition smokers to options that reduce health risks, like flavored nicotine gum. At NicoKick, which sells oral nicotine products, we have found that of those who regularly used nicotine pouches, 59 percent were smokers who have quit, and fruity flavored products were the most popular choice for these former smokers.

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches and other oral nicotine products, which are often flavored, also have the added potential of producing “accidental quitters,” or smokers who are experimenting with an alternative nicotine product for other reasons than to quit smoking, but end up quitting smoking as a result of this experimentation.

Even the FDA itself has indicated the value of flavored oral nicotine products. Just last year, the agency authorized the marketing of four flavored oral tobacco products after a thorough review of the scientific data, which determined the marketing of these products would be consistent with their standard of “appropriate for the protection of the public health.” Additionally, 100 specialists in nicotine science, policy and practice recently called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to modernize its approach to tobacco policy by adopting the harm reduction perspective.

There are 3.14 million Texans who smoke cigarettes, which is nearly 10 percent of the entire adult smoking population in the United States. The most effective way to help these smokers transition to a healthier lifestyle is for both the FDA and our state leaders to prioritize tobacco-harm reduction products, which includes flavored products that will produce better health outcomes for millions of Texans.

We can all agree that any effort to transition from traditional tobacco products to those that reduce harm to the consumer should be supported and would be an important win for public health.

Markus Lindblad is Head of External Affairs at the Haypp Group, a leading international e-commerce company operating in 9 countries with more than 680,000 active customers.