Smoking reduction: an alternative approach for smokers who cannot quit

Cigarette smoking is the foremost cause of death in the United States and is a major health problem worldwide. Clearly, the best way to eliminate the risk of smoking-related diseases, is to quit smoking. Smoking cessation has immediate and long-term benefits and substantially reduces the risk of many smoking-related diseases. Unfortunately, quitting smoking is rarely easy. For those smokers who cannot or do not wish to quit, reduction in their total smoking may represent a potential health benefit. Reduction in total smoking can, theoretically, be achieved by: 1) reducing the number of cigarettes smoked daily; and/or 2) switching to a low tar/low nicotine cigarette. Smokers, however, tend to self-adjust nicotine to maintain relatively constant levels. Reduction in tar/nicotine content or number of cigarettes, therefore, may not produce health benefits. Smoking reduction with alternative nicotine delivery, however, may represent an alternative option for smokers who cannot, or do not, wish to quit.