An international study citing the importance of accurate information on less harmful alternatives to cigarettes has gained the support of a Philippine consumer group.
The Nicotine Consumers Union of the Philippines (NCUP) underscored the need for policies that empower smokers with accurate information and access to less harmful choices.
NCUP president Anton Israel made the statement in response to the results of a British study showing that people who smoke are more likely to quit and switch to vaping when they understand that smoke-free products are significantly less harmful than traditional cigarettes.
Widespread misinformation is currently preventing smokers from switching to less harmful alternatives. “Because of misinformation, consumers are deprived of choices available to them, including the switch to smoke-free alternatives that are scientifically proven to be far less harmful than cigarettes,” Israel said.
“The focus of global tobacco control should not be on banning or heavily restricting alternatives that could save lives,” he said.
Scientific studies show that the primary cause of smoking-related diseases is the combustion of tobacco, which releases thousands of toxic chemicals. In contrast, smoke-free nicotine products like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches eliminate combustion, thereby reducing exposure to harmful substances.
Researchers from Brighton and Sussex Medical School published a study in February 2025 in Oxford Academic, with results indicating that smokers who recognized vaping as less harmful than smoking were more likely to make the switch six years later.
The research, supported by the U.K. Medical Research Council, Wellcome, the University of Bristol, Cancer Research U.K. and the Society for the Study of Addiction, highlights the need to correct public misperceptions about vaping.
Dr. Jasmine Khouja, senior author and senior research associate, said the study highlights the need for interventions to improve the misperceptions about vaping that are currently observed among people who smoke.
“In recent years, we’ve seen a growing number of people believe that vaping is equally or more harmful than smoking. Our study shows that these beliefs could be stopping some people from switching to vaping as a less harmful alternative. It is important for people who smoke to understand that although vapes are not risk-free, switching to vaping could dramatically reduce their risk of developing smoking-related diseases,” Khouja said.
Professor Ann McNeill of King’s College London, a co-author, reinforced the study’s key message. “Smoking is uniquely deadly and will kill one in two regular smokers, yet most people who smoke do not know vaping is less harmful and can help them to stop smoking completely. Our study shows the importance of addressing vaping misperceptions among people who smoke.”
In England, 85 percent of smokers in 2024 believed vaping was as harmful or more harmful than smoking or were uncertain about its risks, up from 59 percent a decade earlier. Researchers stress that correcting these misconceptions is crucial in encouraging smokers to transition to safer alternatives.
Dr. Katherine East, lead author and associate professor in public health at BSMS, said “misperceptions” of vaping deterred adults who smoke from switching to vaping. “While vaping is not without risks, the evidence is clear that vaping is much less harmful than smoking and can help people successfully quit smoking,” East said.
“Unfortunately, misperceptions of vaping harms continue to increase, and we have found in our study that this could deter young adults who smoke from switching to vaping. In England in 2024, 85 percent of adults who smoked incorrectly perceived that vaping is equally or more harmful than smoking or did not know the relative harms, an increase from 59 percent 10 years before,” East said.
As governments worldwide prepare for the upcoming Eleventh Session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, local advocates like NCUP are urging policymakers to recognize the role of smoke-free alternatives in reducing smoking-related diseases and deaths. The FCTC is a global treaty for tobacco control negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization.
