Activists advocate for safer nicotine alternatives for cigarette smoking addicts

Activists from Tobacco Harm Reduction Uganda (THRU) are advocating for the end of cigarette smoking and saving smokers’ lives by promoting existing safer nicotine alternatives for people who cannot quit the habit of cigarette smoking.

The advocacy calls came at a time when by 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that despite the high mortality rate, more than 1,020,500 men, and 1 in 10 persons in Uganda smoke cigarettes daily, making it an ongoing and dire public health threat.

Joel Sawa, Team Leader at Tobacco Harm Reduction Uganda, during a media stakeholder engagement, said that a lot of misinformation is circulating among members of the public regarding Tobacco reduction and what it represents. He said some people are always left with only two options either to die or quit the habit.

However, Tobacco or cigarette smoking being a habit that can’t easily be quit, Sawa is of the view that those fighting to stop smoking do have other safer alternatives which once guided can be of greater significance to help them quit smoking gradually.

“We would like you to talk about the various alternatives that somebody can be allowed as a consumer, to help them in their journey to quit. But also, it should be kept in mind that there are those people who also don’t want to quit. In that regard, how do we help them? The issue to be looked at in this process is the health aspect,” he noted.

According to Sawa, by talking about the public health crisis that is about tobacco and cigarette smoking, safer nicotine products come into play as well. He said some innovations favor the discussions of safer nicotine alternatives – in Uganda and elsewhere in the world.

While highlighting some of the safer alternatives, Sawa said these can help people to transform and quit the habit, something which will enable them to get healthy and get back to society.

“Some of the alternatives include electronic cigarettes and nicotine delivery systems that are innovated in such a way that has a heating element but not fire. This uses vaporized nicotine and once somebody inhales this vaporized nicotine into their lungs, it simply diffuses into their bloodstream and once they exhale it’s always vapor that’s let out,” he added.

He said the electronic cigarette is non-carcinogenic (doesn’t cause cancer) and it’s proven to be 95% safer.

The other alternatives are nicotine patches which are proven to be 99% safe because these contain solidified forms of nicotine used behind the lips, and diffuses into the bloodstream. This product Sawa said is very cheap and affordable for economies like Uganda.

Among the pharmaceutical products Sawa recommended, included nicotine replacement therapies, like nicotine lozenges, nicotine gum, nicotine patches, and nicotine inhalers.

“We as THR the strategies we bring in are of how to deal with two individuals. The one who hopes to quit but doesn’t have the will power, present them with an opportunity of alternatives like pharmaceutical products so that they know what product is more efficient for them on their journey to quitting. While for the person who continues smoking and doesn’t mind the practice, represents with an opportunity to have options that have relatively reduced risks to a greater degree like up to 99% like the electronic cigarettes,”

It should be noted that Uganda is one of the 35 countries globally where e-cigarettes are banned. The law bans the importation, manufacture, distribution, processing, sale, or offer for sale of e-cigarettes, including nicotine- and non-nicotine-containing liquids among other substances.