Tobacco harm reduction

In this exclusive interview for Novinite.com with Jorge Araya, SEE Area Director of British American Tobacco (BAT), we delve into BAT's ambitious mission to built A Better Tomorrow™. As the company navigates a transformative era marked by rapid technological advancements and shifting adult consumer preferences, BAT is dedicated to reducing the health impact of its business.

Although Greece is one among 11 EU countries where the number of smokers has significantly decreased in recent years, more than one in three still indulge in the habit despite the outdated "fashion" of cigarettes and the proven health risks, consuming on average more cigarettes on a daily basis than other Europeans.

Preliminary data from an online survey conducted by the Medical University - Plovdiv and the Health Care Foundation reveal concerning trends in smoking habits among children in Bulgaria. According to the findings, two percent of children aged 6 to 9 smoke traditional cigarettes, while three percent use electronic cigarettes.

Türkiye has emerged as the leading nation globally for the highest number of cigarettes smoked, earning the disconcerting distinction with 17.1 cigarettes per capita per day, according to a European Union (EU) Statistics Office report.

Greece could have prevented almost 170,000 deaths between 2000 and 2019 if it had followed Sweden's example in combating smoking, according to the findings of the report Saving Lives Like Sweden, signed by leading experts in smoking harm reduction from around the world. 

Electronic cigarettes and novel tobacco products have been around for more than a decade as alternatives to cigarette smoking, which kills nearly 700,000 people in the EU every year. However, they remain a controversial issue and the EU is still hesitant about how to treat them legally.

Electronic cigarettes have played a significant role in the reduction of tobacco smokers in Greece, according to the results of a study commissioned by the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Athens, the National School of Public Health and the universities of Patra and Macedonia.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio approved 7 new measures to curb smoking in the megacitiy, introducing a new minimum price per cigarette pack - USD 13. Reports Sega. 

Smoking is rapidly dying out in the UK and US among young people – the first generation to come of age surrounded by laws that discourage smoking.