R Street Institute

R Sheets Harm Reduction

R Sheet on Tobacco Harm Reduction

by Carrie Wade AND Chelsea Boyd
May 8, 2019
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Key Points

Although controversial, reduced-risk tobacco products like e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn products and snus help adult smokers minimize the risk of negative health outcomes from tobacco use.
All proposed regulatory actions should consider the impact on adult smokers, in addition to other populations.
Risk-proportionate tobacco taxes should be implemented at the state and local levels.
The FDA should enforce existing minimum- age-of-purchase regulations with fines and inspections.
Public health agencies should present accurate, unbiased information about the relative risk of e-cigarette use.

Smoking combustible cigarettes causes nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States. Decades of abstinence-only smoking interventions have reduced smoking rates, but decreases have begun to stagnate and have left many populations behind. Tobacco harm reduction provides a framework for smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit. 

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