Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Europe debate: the case for countries adopting a policy of reducing nicotine content of cigarettes and other smoked products to minimal levels

作者：Irina Stepanov, Robert West · 发表于：Nicotine & Tobacco Research · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1093/ntr/ntag100 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Smoking Behavior and Cessation、Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology、Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

While various tobacco control measures have achieved significant progress, tobacco use—and particularly cigarette smoking—remains one of the world's most pressing public health crises, claiming approximately 7 million lives annually, including 1.2 million deaths in Europe alone.1,2 A potentially powerful new evidence-based intervention is mandating the reduction of nicotine content in cigarettes to non-addictive levels.3 Such policy represents a logical next step in tobacco control that could save millions of lives. The scientific rationale for nicotine reduction in cigarettes and other smoked tobacco products rests on 3 pillars of evidence. First, it is well-established that nicotine is a powerful addictive drug and the primary driver of tobacco use, facilitating the transition from experimentation to sustained use and making cessation difficult.4 Attesting to the addictive power of nicotine is the fact that over half of people who smoke express intention to quit, while less than 10% succeed in quitting.5 Second, each dose of nicotine in tobacco smoke is accompanied by over 7000 chemicals, many of which are potent toxicants and carcinogens, which makes tobacco smoking the deadliest delivery mechanism for nicotine administration.6,7 Tobacco smoking affects nearly every organ in human body, causing at least 16 types of cancer as well as a range of respiratory, cardiovascular, and other non-malignant diseases.7 Third, there is a substantial and growing body of evidence demonstr...