Nicotine addictive but not the main agent causing cancer, says advocate

Nicotine, an addictive stimulant commonly found in tobacco products and most e-cigarettes, or vapes, is not the primary component that causes cancer and other smoking-related diseases, according to tobacco harm-reduction (THR) advocates.

“(The) nicotine is what makes smoking addictive. But the more harm is found in the smoke (in a cigarette), where all the deadly chemicals, the cancer-producing chemicals are found,” said Dr. Lorenzo Mata Jr., president of Quit for Good, a THR group, during the Harm Reduction and Nicotine Summit on Wednesday.

Mr. Mata said the misconception that nicotine itself is dangerous puts millions of nicotine-dependent Filipinos at risk, as it discourages them from switching to less harmful alternatives like vapes that could help them quit.

“The continued demonization of nicotine is not only scientifically inaccurate; it’s dangerous,” he said.

However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that nicotine use is highly addictive and alters brain function and may become deadly when consumed along with the thousands of harmful chemicals commonly found in tobacco products.

The FDA also said that some of the same chemicals known to cause lung damage are present in certain e-cigarette aerosols.

In a pressing question on whether vaping is a healthier option compared to cigarettes, the FDA said that more high-quality research is still needed to determine its short- and long-term health effects.

Meanwhile, Eric Castillo, founder of the Philippine Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates, told BusinessWorld that while quitting smoking, whether traditional cigarettes or vapes, is the ideal goal for smokers, it is not easy for many to achieve.

“The reality on the ground is that there are millions of smokers, and while many of them are attempting to quit, they couldn’t,” Mr. Castillo said at the sidelines of the summit.

“Now, in order to save lives and protect the health of smokers, we bring them the less harmful alternatives available to them,” he added.

The summit revealed that adult smoking rates rose to 23.2% in 2023 from 18.5% in 2021, citing a report from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI).

In the same FNRI report, the institute also flagged a drastic increase in youth cigarette smokers, which doubled to 4.8% from 2.3% in the same period.

Mr. Castillo said this was due to the rise of illicit trade, which allows sellers to evade government-imposed taxes. — Edg Adrian A. Eva