‘The World Health Organization declared in 1988 that World No Tobacco Day should be celebrated every year. For 36 years this DAY has been celebrated all over the world. However, it could not be eliminated. In fact, it is controversial whether consumption has decreased or increased.
Smoking is the main cause of many respiratory diseases such as lung cancer, asthma and chronic lung disease. In addition, cardiovascular problems, gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes, hypertension, urinary tract problems, brain dysfunction, forgetfulness, eye pressure and some skin diseases are more common in smokers than non-smokers. The use of tobacco products can lead to reproductive system disorders in both men and women.
The use of cigarettes and tobacco products is a multifaceted global problem that, in recent years, has taken the lives of more than 8 million people each year, burdening national economies and damaging our environment.
The losers of the tobacco economy and those facing health risks are farmers and tobacco consumers.
The tobacco industry makes inaccurate and exaggerated statements that make the economic aspect appear profitable for farmers. Tobacco farming exposes farmers and their families to serious health risks. One in four tobacco farmers is affected by green tobacco disease. The disease is caused by nicotine that is absorbed through the skin when handling tobacco leaves and then distributed throughout the body. Women and children are at greater risk.
Shifting from tobacco to nutritious food crops has the potential to feed millions of families and improve the livelihoods of farming communities globally. Support tobacco farmers to switch to alternative crops by reallocating resources to support alternatives to tobacco cultivation.
Nicotine in cigarette smoke is the main cause of addiction; nicotine reaches first the lungs and then the brain with the smoke of burning tobacco and starts the addiction flow. The addictive effect of nicotine is very high. Nicotine also negatively affects the developing brain and nervous system, especially in children and young people.
There is no safe dose or threshold dose for the harmful substances in nicotine and smoke. This means that every cigarette smoked, every cigarette smoke exposed to, can be the initiator of diseases, especially cancer.
One in two smokers and tobacco product users will lose their health over time and, depending on the severity of the disease, may experience periods of poor health followed by loss of life.
In order to expand the shrinking tobacco market again, the tobacco industry, which manages a market worth hundreds of billions of dollars every year, has introduced technological heating devices, the raw material of which is tobacco and nicotine, to the market with the concept of ‘reduced harm products’. These new and modern-looking products are tried to be made attractive especially for young people. These new products containing nicotine have been introduced to the market by the tobacco industry in recent years under the names of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products. In this way, the tobacco industry tries to increase its income in countries where its market share is declining, and aims to make children and young people addicted to nicotine with new and modern-looking products.
It can’t be harm-reduced tobacco, Electronic cigarette smoke is not water vapor.
In heated tobacco products, it is essential to use the same tobacco by heating it with special heating devices without burning it and inhaling the nicotine in it into the lungs with smoke. Creating a harm-reduced result from the same raw material with similar heat treatment does not reflect reality. Other products whose use has increased in recent years are electronic cigarettes, which are called by different names such as “Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDSé)”. The aim here is to avoid the term cigarette, which is clearly perceived to be harmful. The electronic liquids used in electronic cigarettes contain flavoring and liquid nicotine, which are transformed from liquid to smoke by special heating mechanisms. This is not water vapor as described by untrue statements, it is an aerosol containing many chemicals. It is harmful to the whole body, especially the lungs.
Electronic liquids contain sweeteners and flavor enhancers to attract the attention of children and young people. These are dangerous substances that have long been fought to be removed from cigarettes. Studies on the long-term effects of the use of these products have been insufficient due to the relative novelty of their use.
Children and young people are targeted. With electronic cigarettes and wet tobacco products, the tobacco industry aims to reach children and young people who have not met cigarettes. It also targets individuals who quit smoking or want to quit smoking with misinformation. It is a big lie that these products are harmless or facilitate quitting. When electronic cigarettes, which are said to be nicotine-free, are examined, it should be remembered that nicotine can be found, although the amount varies, and that inhalation of chemicals other than nicotine, which are touted as “natural”, poses significant dangers.
The tobacco industry tries to find a place for itself with the discourse of “harm reduction” or “cessation”. However, it does not end nicotine addiction, but causes people who use both traditional tobacco products and new generation products such as e-cigarettes to “dual use-dual use”, changing the means of nicotine addiction in their lives.
Different and confusing new nicotine products include nicotine pouches placed in the mouth containing synthetic nicotine. These products try to show a new and different product image in the market with the title of smokeless, tobacco-free nicotine and reduced harm.
All new products are specifically positioned to reach young people through promotion, hidden advertising, publicity, activities and sponsorship, which are prohibited in cigarette marketing. Tobacco companies spend more than one million dollars on advertising and promotion of tobacco products and still encourage large numbers of young people to use tobacco.
The World Health Organization reports that these products are as harmful to health as tobacco products. Children and adolescents are particularly at risk from the use of these products. Since brain development continues until the mid-20s, the use of these products at an early age negatively affects brain development.
Smoking and nicotine addiction is a treatable health problem. Nicotine addiction has social and behavioral aspects, but there is also a physiological addiction. This addiction can be treated by specialists.
To give up smoking requires first a change in thinking and then a change in behavior. Not every attempt is successful. The success of attempts to give up varies individually. It is very important to get help from experts in this field.
