R Street Institute

Op-Eds

Tobacco harm reduction: A (state) capital idea

by Brad Rodu
March 28, 2013
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issues: Tobacco Harm Reduction
originally published in Tobacco Truth
When I published my book on tobacco harm reduction in 1995, Dr. Dean Edell described my strategy as “credible, logical and eminently do-able.” Risk expert W. Kip Viscusi (now a distinguished professor at Vanderbilt University) wrote that “Dr. Brad Rodu’s intent is not to abolish tobacco use, but to expand the range of consumer options and to enable consumers to make more informed decisions. This option of informed choice should become the guiding principle of U.S. public health policy toward tobacco.”

Now, lawmakers in a growing number of states are exploring how vastly safer tobacco products can help their smoking constituents lead longer and healthier lives.  In 2012, I was invited to participate in legislative committee meetings or hearings in Kansas (April), Indiana (September) and Oklahoma (October).  This year, legislators in Iowa, North Dakota (February), Kansas and Idaho (March) have heard the truth about tobacco harm reduction.

While I was in Bismarck, N.D., I was interviewed by Dale Wetzel, former Associated Press writer, on his radio show, The Legislature Today.  Dale asked challenging questions that generated a lively discussion.  The interview is available here.

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