Two-thirds (66 percent) of adult respondents in Europe believe that smokers can be encouraged to switch to science-based alternatives by taxing these products less than cigarettes, but high enough to dissuade young people and non-smokers from them.
A survey conducted by the independent public opinion polling firm Povaddo for the Philip Morris International (PMI) company on over 14.000 adult respondents in 13 European countries showed that 65 percent of the respondents believe that decision-makers when creating regulations on tobacco and products containing nicotine do not take taking into account the impact of such decisions on the smokers themselves.
Moreover, 66 percent of adults from the general population across Europe agree that organizations such as the EU and WHO (World Health Organization) should do more to reduce harm by encouraging smokers to use less harmful products rather than trying to stop smoking altogether tobacco.
Governments can also help improve public health by advocating policies that encourage adult smokers to switch to innovative smokeless alternatives that have the potential to be less harmful than continuing to smoke cigarettes, according to two in three respondents.
"The results of this research show that there is a gap between policy makers and the citizens they represent and represent when it comes to tobacco policy," said the president of the Povaddo company, William Stewart. "The approach of the EU policy is more directed towards the unrealistic goal of completely eliminating the use of nicotine, while the majority of the public is inclined to the pragmatic concept of reducing the harm from smoking and encouraging smokers to use less harmful nicotine products".
In addition, the research shows that 74 percent of respondents agree that banning certain tobacco and nicotine products will not actually lead to a reduction in consumption. Instead, users will simply look for these products on the black market. Almost the same percentage of EU citizens believe that illegal trade in tobacco and nicotine products can have serious negative consequences for safety, security and public health in their country.
"The bottom line is that the illegal trade in tobacco and nicotine products is seen as a problem across Europe and people are aware of the negative consequences that come from it," says Stewart. "There is a clear public view that governments need to take illicit trade into account when deciding how to regulate and tax these products, and many feel that this is not the case at the moment."
