Switch and Quit Owensboro

The Tobacco Harm Reduction Research program at the University of Louisville is sponsoring a community-based smoking cessation program in Daviess County called "Switch and Quit Owensboro." The campaign website is www.SwitchandQuitOwensboro.org.

This program is based on tobacco harm reduction, which involves the substitution of vastly safer smoke-free tobacco products for cigarettes by smokers who are unable or unwilling to abstain completely from nicotine and tobacco.

The program is based on three facts:

1. Smoke-free tobacco use is at least 98% safer than cigarette smoking. In fact, the health risks associated with long-term smoke-free tobacco use are so low that they are barely measurable with modern epidemiologic methods.

2. Smoke-free tobacco effectively provides the nicotine kick smokers crave. That is why smoke-free tobacco has been shown to be a successful cigarette substitute both in the U.S. and in Sweden.

3. Modern smoke-free tobacco products can be used invisibly, much like a breath mint, in any social situation.

These facts are the foundation of a simple and practical strategy to permit Owensboro smokers to lead longer and healthier lives.

Click on any of the following items for a detailed discussion:

Tobacco harm reduction has a sound medical and scientific rationale

Nicotine is addictive, but it does not cause cancer, heart attacks or emphysema

Scientific evidence demonstrates that smokeless tobacco is an effective substitute for cigarettes

Smokeless tobacco use is not a gateway to smoking among teenagers

Smokeless tobacco products are socially acceptable and available in Owensboro