Helping smokers quit requires clinical support, science-based policies: experts

NEW DELHI: (Oct 8) Telling smokers to quit is not enough and greater emphasis needs to be placed on clinical support for tobacco dependence, while public health policies should evolve with emerging scientific evidence, experts said.

The experts spoke at the 9th Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction, held virtually from September 28 to 30, where clinicians, researchers and policy experts discussed tobacco dependence, smoking cessation, nicotine use among young people and the role of scientific evidence in shaping tobacco-control policies.

Dr Mohsin Wali, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Pacific OneHealth, Delhi, and founding member of Doctors Against Addiction (DaAD), said there was a significant difference between advising a smoker to quit and helping them actually overcome tobacco dependence.