By Beatriz Santos*
Nicotine consumption is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history. Over two decades, a wide range of Innovative Nicotine Products (INPs) – from vapes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) to nicotine pouches and other smoke-free alternatives – has emerged alongside traditional tobacco products, fundamentally changing the way nicotine is consumed across the world.

Nevertheless, despite its overwhelmingly growing use, INPs still face enormous controversy and ambiguous legislation in many countries.

In an article published last April 7, I addressed the European Commission’s latest Evaluation Report on its Tobacco Products and Tobacco Advertising Directives, which states that “new public health concerns have arisen” due to the growing popularity of INPs. More recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a document framing nicotine pouches as a danger to be defeated.

While INPs are not 100% risk-free, supranational organizations like the EU and the WHO have been failing to assess its benefits when compared to traditional cigarettes and, particularly, public opinion.

For instance, despite a 2022 public consultation encompassing 24,000 Europeans revealing that 77% of consumers agree that INPs help with smoking cessation, these results have been succeedingly disregarded. Another fact that does not get enough attention is that Sweden managed to achieve smoke-free status (a smoking rate below 5%) through a blend of traditional policies and INPs-positive measures, with the majority of Swedish former
smokers having switched.

In fact, former smokers have said many things to say regarding the effects of INPs. However, We Are Innovation went one step further, surveying the friends, partners, and family members closest to them to understand what quitting really looks like from the outside, and what role innovative nicotine products played in that journey. The study was conducted by Ipsos across the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and Japan, and its results offer further evidence that switching to INPs can improve the lives of smokers.

According to the relatives and friends of former smokers, switching to INPs has a positive impact on the former smoker’s personal appearance, smell, personal presence, self- confidence, sociability and emotional well-being. But the loved ones also report improvements directly affecting themselves. Reduced exposure to secondhand smoke ranks as the most noticed change, but improved shared experiences, from social activities and
exercise to simply going out to restaurants, are not far behind.

The numbers matter as well. Some of the measurable key takeaways from the WAI/Ipsos survey are:

● The support for adult smokers’ rights to access INPs from 70% (in Canada) to 86% (in the UK);
● Efficacy perceptions range from 84% for vapes to 89% for HTPs, with nicotine pouches being perceived as helpful by 87% of the respondents;
● 69-84% of respondents agreed that switching to INPs was an effective way for their friend/relative to quit smoking cigarettes, with 66-78% believing it would not have been possible for their friend/relative to quit without them.

Ultimately, the debate surrounding INPs cannot continue to ignore the experiences and demands of the very people that are most affected by tobacco policies. And those are not just smokers or former smokers, but also their families and friends.

While caution and regulation are necessary, public opinion increasingly points toward a clear expectation: adult consumers want access to less harmful alternatives that can help them move away from combustible cigarettes.

Policymakers should, therefore, move away from prohibitionist and catastrophist narratives and adopt a more balanced, evidence-based approach that recognizes INPs as tools to be included in legitimate public health strategies. Ignoring the voices of millions of smokers, former smokers and their loved ones risks disconnecting regulation from social reality at a time when nicotine consumption is already changing irreversibly.

* Beatriz Santos is the Chief Communications Officer (CCO) at We Are Innovation. She is based in Lisbon, Portugal. Beatriz started publishing articles through her University newspaper and eventually moved to national and international reach outlets, including the well known Portuguese outlets NOVO and Observador. Her professional career includes international communications experience with the ATREVIA agency and the European Parliament. She also has two published books and is an essential part of the Students For Liberty organization in Portugal. With a focus on positive change and global cooperation, she actively seeks partnerships across the globe to promote innovative initiatives.

The article expresses personal views.