Harm reduction refers to policies, programmes and practices that aim to minimise negative health, social and legal impacts associated with drug use, drug policies and drug laws. In the context of nicotine consumption, harm reduction means giving consumers options to safely — or at least less harmfully — consume nicotine or even reduce their intake to eventually quit altogether. 

Over the past 15 years, we have witnessed the emergence of many harm reduction technologies in the field of nicotine consumption: electronic cigarettes (Vaping), devices that heat the tobacco but do not burn it (Heat-not-burn), wet tobacco (Snus), and nicotine pouches (Swedish pouches) that contain no tobacco at all.

However, some or even all these products are banned in many countries around the world, and in the ones where they are regulated they have suffered huge scrutiny by policymakers and health bureaucrats that completely ignore the science.

Harm reduction is grounded in justice and human rights. Equally important it’s a consumer right, more specifically the right to choose less harmful alternatives that will ultimately lead them to live a better, healthier, and more productive life.

Our research shows that almost 200 million lives worldwide could be saved if countries were to implement progressive harm reduction policies similar to the ones in the United Kingdom. So in this infographic, we aim to highlight the difference between harm reduction products in the field of nicotine consumption. For more information about the war on nicotine, please see our paper 6 Reasons to Stop the War on Nicotine.