The Oklahoma Legislature is scheduled to have a committee hearing this Wednesday to discuss using tobacco harm reduction strategies as a means to reduce the health damage from cigarettes.
ACSH scientific advisor and author of our papers on harm reduction, Dr. Brad Rodu, professor of medicine and an endowed chair in tobacco harm reduction research at the University of Louisville, has written an op-ed encouraging Oklahoma legislators to promote tobacco harm reduction products, which have the potential to reduce the most preventable cause of premature death in the U.S: smoking. He writes:
The strategy is based on science: smokers who have been unwilling or unable to quit can achieve nearly all the health benefits of abstinence by switching to smoke-free cigarette substitutes, including snus, dissolvables and electronic cigarettes.
By eliminating smoke, these products minimize health risks. They satisfy smokers' nicotine cravings, making them effective cigarette substitutes. Nicotine, like caffeine, is addictive, but it doesn't cause smoking-related diseases.
To read Dr. Rodu s piece in its entirety click here.
