At an event organised by the Centre for Economic and Market Analysis (CETA) in Prague, medical and addiction experts called on the European Union to support reducing the harm caused by tobacco.
In discussing how to achieve a tobacco-free generation (less than 5% of EU citizens use tobacco by 2040), they concluded that the targets set out in the European Plan to fight cancer could not be achieved under current circumstances and that revised tobacco control required policies based on scientific evidence.
"If the European Commission is serious about its plans to reduce the number of smokers and the impact of smoking, it must start thinking about the concept of risk reduction in the field of smoking," Jindřich Vobořil, manager of the Czech National Drug Coordinator, said in a statement.
"The Czech government committed to this approach in its programme statement for the upcoming [EU] presidency. I will also promote it in the ongoing review of the Tobacco Products Directive, which is an effective policy to achieve a real reduction in the number of smokers of traditional cigarettes, "he added.
"The data show that the abstinence approach is inadequate. The solution for smokers is to switch to less harmful alternatives, "notes Ernest Groman of the Institute for Nicotine Research in Vienna. The only European country that comes close to the 5% target is Sweden. According to experts, the main reason for the low number of smokers is the availability of less harmful alternatives.
During the event, CETA released a study ranking EU member states according to their ability to implement risk reduction concepts. The Czech Republic finished second.
Aleš Rod, a member of the Czech government's advisory council and director of research at CETA, said the Czech government should use its incoming EU presidency to conduct a comprehensive review of tobacco dependence policies based on science rather than emotion.