New Delhi, Sep 14: Tobacco use claims 1.35 million lives in India every year, but quit rates remain alarmingly low despite widespread awareness.
With India spending over Rs 1.77 lakh crore annually on tobacco-related diseases, health experts have urged for innovative, science-backed harm reduction strategies, including smoke-free nicotine alternatives.
Dr Pawan Gupta, senior consultant in Pulmonary Medicine at BLK-MAX Super Specialty Hospital, Delhi, said that for patients with COPD or cardiovascular risks, avoiding every cigarette counts.
“Scientific reviews, including those by the Royal College of Physicians (UK), show that non-combustible nicotine delivery carries significantly lower risks compared to smoking. That evidence cannot be ignored,” Gupta said.
Public Health England (UK) has estimated that smoke-free nicotine alternatives are up to 95 per cent less harmful than smoking, as they eliminate tar and combustion.
Globally, nicotine pouches have gained popularity as discreet oral substitutes for cigarettes and are now available in 34 countries, including Sweden, Norway, the US and Denmark.
Dr Sunaina Soni, Assistant Professor at AIIMS-CAPFIMS Centre, said traditional cessation tools often have limited success in India. She stressed that safer, tobacco-free nicotine alternatives, if regulated, could support smokers in quitting.
“No smoke, no tar, no combustion — that is the critical difference. Science speaks, and it’s time we consider safer nicotine,” she said.
While not entirely risk-free, experts noted that nicotine pouches, when used as substitutes for smoking, could significantly aid India in achieving its WHO NCD Global Target of reducing tobacco use by 30 per cent by 2025.
Currently, 1 in 10 Indians dies prematurely from tobacco-related diseases, and only about 7 per cent of smokers manage to quit unaided, according to the CDC.
