From traditional smoking tobacco to non-combustible nicotine alternatives

• The annual lost benefits to the economy (in 2019) related to cigarette smoking amounted to BGN 4.4 billion or 3.7% of GDP;
• Estimates show that smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease (2 to 4 times), of stroke (2 to 4 times), of developing lung cancer (25 times);
• The potential effects of changing consumer habits (switching to less harmful alternatives) amount to BGN 1.8 billion, a reduction in negative effects or a drop in the financial dimension of harm of 41%;
• When 15% of smokers switch to less harmful alternatives, the effect on the average annual number of diseases in the four main disease groups related to smoking is reduced by nearly 56,000 health insured persons or 12%;
• If 50% of smokers switch to less harmful alternatives, the effect on public finances is a decrease in spending by an average of nearly BGN 51 million on an annual basis;

Smoking causes poor general health, increased work absences, and increased health care utilization and costs. Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer.

The new, popular alternatives to cigarettes, here called nicotine-free alternatives (NFAs), have been shown to have the potential to be a less harmful alternative to traditional tobacco products (TTPs).

In this study, we assess the effects of a potential change in consumer habits, which is expressed in replacing TTI with NNA in Bulgaria, in the absence of a complete cessation of tobacco and nicotine use in general.

For the purpose of the study, three scenarios were examined - a change in consumption habits among 1%, 15% and 50% of active smokers in the country and the effects on a set of health indicators.

The report presented here is based on the study “Effects on public health and the economy of a change in consumer habits from smoking traditional tobacco products to the use of new nicotine non-combustible alternatives”   published in the journal "Public Policies" of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"

Download the report HERE.

To contact the authors:

Arkady Sharkov: 0887699712

Stoyan Panchev: 0898466808

Did you like it? Take a minute to support the EKIP on Patreon!