A ban on the sale of flavoured heated tobacco products came into force in Czechia this week, bringing it in line with an EU directive issued last year. I discussed the move with Dr Eva Králíková, who heads a stop smoking clinic at Prague’s General Faculty Hospital.
“We should maybe at first explain what the difference is between heated tobacco and electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes do not contain tobacco, it’s only liquid containing nicotine, and the health risk is very low.
“But what I can say from the experiences of our patients, those who switched from cigarettes to heated tobacco say two things: first, that they increased the consumption. And secondly, that it is harder for them to quit heated tobacco then cigarettes.”
Some experts argue that alternative nicotine products, including heated flavoured tobacco, are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but I guess you don’t agree with that?
“I don’t like the expression alternative forms of nicotine. Of course we do not have 100 years of experience, but we can measure what is inhaled by consumers of e-cigarette, heated tobacco and by regular smokers.
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Author: Ruth Fraňková