Doctor Backs Safer Smoking Alternatives

JUNE 12, 2025
MONICA KAYOMBO. Lusaka
A MEDICAL doctor, public and occupational health specialist has revealed that current technology is good to help people who want to stop smoking.
He says when it comes to understanding harm reduction from a doctor’s perspective, there are a lot of mis-conceptions adding that smoking is narrowly related to nicotine.
He said while nicotine is seen as one of the causes of Non-Communicable Diseases including pulmonary problems, studies have shown that harm reduction is less risky and harmful.
Speaking in an interview after the 11th Technology Innovation (Technovation) conference in Cape Town, South Africa on Tuesday, Philip Morris International (PMI) medical doctor and Scientific Engagement Manager Sub-Saharan- Africa Clement Dairga Basse says different types of studies have shown that there is a difference between the cigarettes and smoke free products.
“It is important that we bring science to the doctors and not only to doctors. We need to have a multi-sectoral approach to show people that there’s a huge difference between harmful chemicals coming out of the smoke of cigarettes compared to harmful chemicals coming from heated tobacco products,’’ he said.
Dr Basse says PMI has demonstrated how important harm reduction is through science.
Dr Basse says regulation of the smoke free products is important adding that if the products were left un regulated, some companies might take advantage and come up with substandard or fake smoke free products that would cause harm to the users.
“We are fighting to show how important harm reduction is through science. At the end of the day, nicotine is not risk free, it is also addictive,’’ Dr Basse said.
He said the use of smoke free products is important because the products are able to protect the user from inhaling harmful smoke by 90 to 95 percent.
Dr Basse said scientific evidence that PMI smoke- free products are better than continued smoking is widespread and difficult to dispute.
“ While the scientific case for tobacco harm reduction becomes more robust annually, skepticism around smoke-free products is getting in the way of helping smokers make informed choices that are better for their health,’’ he said.
He said the increasing use of smoke –free products indicate a growing demand for better alternatives to cigarettes as evidenced by commercial success of I Quit Ordinary Smoking (IQOS) and ZYN nicotine pouches.
He said tgge IQOS and ZYN nicotine pouches are being used in many parts of the World and some parts of Africa including Morocco and South Africa.
Dr Basse said consumers need accurate and non-mis-leading information about smoke-free products to make informed choices.
The Technovation conference drew participants from the wide range of professionals drawn from medicine, media, science and other disciplines.