A global consensus between industry, scientists and regulators around the role of tobacco alternatives in smoking cessation could be achieved in the long term, but experts believe more cooperation and work towards accurate information are the main challenges.
Professor Riccardo Polosa of the University of Catania in Italy believes that it is “utopian” to think of reaching unanimous agreement but that it is not impossible.
“We must no longer think of an unreachable goal: we must begin to evaluate the hypothesis that it is a matter of accepting a fact and letting smokers choose, and not politicians for them,” he said.
Polosa, founder of the university’s Centre of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), highlighted that the final goal is smoking cessation, but in the meantime an expert consensus might help increase the chances and life prospects of smokers.
Antonia di Lorenzo – Tobacco Intelligence – 2021-10-14.