The 5th Scientific Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction opened in Athens on September 21st, 2022, for two days with attendance―physical and virtual―of over 240 participants from 41 countries.
During the Summit a keynote speech was addressed by Dr Lion Shahab, on a hot topic that over the years has created tumultuous discussions and radical stands: youth protection and nicotine use. Dr Shahab is Professor of Health Psychology at University College London and past President for the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco – Europe. He trained in psychology, epidemiology, and neuroscience. On his keynote speech entitled: how to encourage and establish Harm Reduction while protecting youth from adopting the use of nicotine? Dr Shahab tried to answer this complex question about how to make these novel products less attractive for the youth but still appealing for adult smokers who want to quit smoking traditional cigarettes?
" There is clear evidence that e-cigarettes (but also snus and other reduced-risk tobacco products) are beneficial to current smokers, while evidence of a "gateway effect" is minimal. Of course, for the adoption of the most suitable products by smokers and young people, precise information, and legislation in favor of e-cigarettes are necessary, while attenuating the glamor associated with lifestyle."
Some think that novel products such as e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking conventional cigarettes. In fact, there is a concern and even a fear that Tobacco Harm Reduction policies may encourage the initiation of vaping and thus lead to nicotine addiction among young people:
" The tobacco industry targets young people through misleading messages that help shape attitudes to tobacco use. Tobacco promotion associates tobacco use with appealing images to lure young people into a lifetime of tobacco addiction. These encourage children to adopt a behavior that is harmful to their physical, mental and social development, says the World Health Organization (WHO) on its website.
Not all countries face the same issue with the youth. In Norway, for instance, Dr. Karl E. Lund - senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and former Research Director at the Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research said: "smoking initiation among young people is below 2% and regular smokers are approximately 9% of the population; therefore, the main challenge might be quite different from what other countries are facing."
According to a study led by the global public health organization, Vital Strategies and released on May 2022, "youth tobacco use has increased in 63 of 135 countries surveyed, and more than 50 million 13 to 15-year-olds smoke cigarettes or use smokeless tobacco products".
In Low and Middle-Income Countries, more specifically in Africa, 28,7% of young people (age 13 to 15) buy cigarettes in stores and 48,2% are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke in public spaces, according to the WHO.
