Politics · India Bureau
Clinical support crucial for tobacco dependence, experts stress
Experts convened at a major tobacco harm reduction summit have emphasized that helping smokers quit requires comprehensive clinical intervention, not just advisory warnings. They also called for public health policies to adapt based on emerging scientific evidence.
LSN India ·
Clinicians, researchers and policy experts gathered virtually at the 9th Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction from September 28 to 30 to discuss strategies for addressing tobacco dependence and smoking cessation. The discussions highlighted a critical gap between advising smokers to quit and providing them with the clinical tools needed to overcome nicotine addiction.
Dr Mohsin Wali, Senior Consultant in Internal Medicine at Pacific OneHealth in Delhi and a founding member of Doctors Against Addiction, underscored this distinction during the summit. "There is a significant difference between advising a smoker to quit and helping them actually overcome tobacco dependence," he said. Drawing on more than four decades of clinical experience, Dr Wali noted that while encouraging smokers to quit remains important, the real challenge lies in delivering effective support mechanisms to help them succeed.
The summit addressed multiple dimensions of tobacco control, including nicotine use among young people and the role of scientific evidence in shaping public health policies. Participants emphasized that tobacco-control strategies must evolve in line with new research findings rather than remaining static.
Experts stressed that successful smoking cessation requires a multifaceted approach combining clinical intervention with supportive public health frameworks. This integrated strategy, they argued, offers smokers a substantially better chance of overcoming their dependence on tobacco products.