VIENNA-ERFURT DECLARATION

A joint recommendation

A joint recommendation of the Nicotine Institute Vienna and the Fritz-Lickint-Institute for nicotine research and smoking cessation, Erfurt, for the regulation of tobacco and nicotine products.

Due to concerns over increasing smoking rates in most of the European countries, the regulation of tobacco and nicotine products was discussed at the round table at the sixth German conference on nicotine.

The consequences of the discussion are summarized:

• Restrictions on the sale of tobacco products (grocery stores, tobacco vendors, gas stations) and advertising of cigarettes should be firmer than they are at present. A stringent law for the protection of youth and efficient steps for primary prevention must assist these procedures. Both the substances added to tobacco products and the harmful substances (nitrosamine and tar) in cigarettes should be controlled.
  
• According to international experience, nicotine products are adequate means für smoking therapy in terms of secondary and tertiary prophylactic procedures. With a combination of medical advice and nicotine replacement therapy lasting several weeks or months (mostly a combination of different products: patch, gum, nasal spray, microtab, lozenge and inhaler), up to 45% of smokers who want to quit smoking, can be free of cigarettes for 6 month.
  
• Because many smokers enjoy smoking, and refrain from totally quitting despite health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, lung disease, diabetes mellitus, a harm reduction strategy must be taken into consideration. Harm reduction means that the smoker reduces their daily consumption to a minimum of less than 10 ciagarettes a day combined with a controlled application of nicotine replacement products. The treatment should also be possible for a longer period of time ( months or longer) if cessation cannot be achieved.
  
• If a smoker who already carries a risk insists on undiminished tobacco consumption and is not willing to use nicotine replacement products for harm reduction, they should be offered snus, a smoke-free tobacco from Sweden The harmful characteristics of this tobacco are demonstrably lower than those of a cigarette, because the nitrosamine content in snus tobacco can be controlled.