New Delhi: Tobacco kills 1.35 million Indians each year, yet quit rates remain stubbornly low despite widespread awareness.
India spends over ₹1.77 lakh crore annually on treating tobacco-related illnesses, prompting health experts to push for innovative, science-backed harm-reduction measures, including smoke-free nicotine alternatives.
Dr. Pawan Gupta, Senior Consultant, Pulmonary Medicine at BLK-MAX Super Specialty Hospital, stressed that “for patients with COPD or cardiovascular risks, every cigarette avoided matters.” Citing global research, he noted that non-combustible nicotine delivery systems pose far lower risks than smoking. Public Health England estimates smoke-free alternatives to be up to 95% less harmful because they eliminate tar and combustion.
Nicotine pouches—discreet oral substitutes for cigarettes—are gaining ground worldwide, already available in 34 countries including Sweden, Norway, the U.S., and Denmark.
Dr. Sunaina Soni, Assistant Professor of Physiology at AIIMS-CAPFIMS, observed that conventional cessation tools often show limited success in India. “Safer, tobacco-free nicotine alternatives, when regulated, could help smokers transition away from cigarettes. No smoke, no tar, no combustion—that is the critical difference. Science speaks, and it’s time we consider safer nicotine,” she said.
Although not risk-free, Soni added that nicotine pouches could play a meaningful role in helping India achieve its WHO-backed target of cutting tobacco use by 30% by 2025.
The tobacco toll remains severe: one in ten Indians dies prematurely from related diseases. According to the CDC, only about 7% of smokers in India manage to quit without assistance.
