Smoking Harm Reduction

Dr. Gabriel Symonds is a medical doctor who has helped patients quit smoking for 3 decades. Find out what Dr. Symonds has to say about Smoking Harm Reduction below.

Banning Menthol Cigarettes in the US

Potential progress in the fight against smoking was announced The British Medical Journal (10 September 2020) with the headline, ‘US doctors support bid to ban menthol cigarettes.’ We learn that the American Medical Association together with the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council and the UK charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), have brought a lawsuit against [...]

Gabriel Symonds2021-04-30T00:16:02+00:0012 October 2020|Categories: Smoking Harm Reduction, Tobacco Control|

Philip Morris: Saviour of the World

The two-faced André Calantzopoulos, CEO of Philip Morris International (PMI), is at it again. He’s written an open letter to the Global Leadership Community [sic], whatever that is, in which he presents himself and the repulsive company he heads as the saviour of the world. It’s not difficult, however, to see through the lies, distortions and false emotional [...]

Gabriel Symonds2022-12-30T01:03:07+00:0024 January 2019|Categories: Nicotine Addiction, Smoking Harm Reduction|

Smoking and Nicotine Addiction

Earthlings’ curious ritual If you were a visitor from another planet you would soon notice that many of the human species engage in a curious ritual. They take a small white cylindrical object known as ‘a cigarette’ out of a packet, set fire to one end of it, put the other end into their mouth and suck the [...]

Gabriel Symonds2023-04-25T09:10:54+00:008 January 2019|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Addiction, Smoking Harm Reduction|

Just One Cigarette…

Persons who deliberately inhale cigarette smoke are known as smokers and those who use e-cigarettes are called vapers. But what about people who obtain their regular supply of nicotine from skin patches or chewing gum? Should we call them patchers and chewers, respectively? I propose, in order to simplify the terminology as well as more accurately to reflect [...]

Gabriel Symonds2023-05-18T12:59:24+00:0023 February 2018|Categories: Nicotine Addiction, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Smoking Harm Reduction|

Failing to Give Up Cigarettes

Towards the end of December each year many smokers announce a new year’s resolution: to give up smoking. Or they might say they resolve to give up cigarettes. What they don't say (or if they did it would be meaningless) is that their new year’s resolution is to try to give up smoking or cigarettes. Smokers often say, [...]

Gabriel Symonds2021-06-27T02:34:05+00:003 February 2018|Categories: Philip Morris, Smoking Alternatives, Smoking Harm Reduction|

A Fun Way to Quit Smoking

Isn’t this fun, or isn’t it? Let’s hear it from a lady called Sarah in a video The Switch. The title reminded me of The Great Switcheroo in Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected—a collection of rather sinister stories for adults. […]

Gabriel Symonds2019-12-19T00:28:04+00:0026 January 2018|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Addiction, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|

Smoking Alternatives and Philip Morris

What is this colourful montage? It's comprised of the logos of organisations from all over the world who were signatories to a letter addressed, as you can see, to Mr André Calantzopoulos (they omitted his title and if this was from lack of respect for this loathsome person I don’t blame them), the Chief Executive Officer of Philip [...]

Gabriel Symonds2022-01-17T07:53:43+00:0026 January 2018|Categories: Big Tobacco, Philip Morris, Smoking Alternatives, Smoking Harm Reduction|

The Perfect Product for Nicotine Addiction

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced it has awakened to the interesting idea that the way to help people quit smoking is for them to have a wider range of ‘products’ available in addition to so-called nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The FDA recognises that NRT (nicotine-containing gum, patches, and lozenges) is of limited effectiveness and [...]

Gabriel Symonds2022-10-06T01:52:56+00:001 December 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine gum, Nicotine Patches, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Smoking Harm Reduction|

The attempt and not the deed, Confounds us

The 2017 version of Stoptober, as they call it, finished on 28th October. The idea was that if smokers could be encouraged and supported not to smoke for twenty-eight days, they would be 'five times more likely to quit for good'. Those who signed up received daily messages of the following kind: If you're using stop smoking aids, [...]

Gabriel Symonds2023-04-23T02:04:56+00:005 November 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine gum, Nicotine Patches, Smoking Harm Reduction|

How Not to Solve the Smoking Problem

There’s no shortage of ideas, particularly from people who appear to have no experience in actually treating smokers, about how to solve the smoking problem. For example let’s take a look at an article in the online Dorset Echo of 29 September 2017 written by a trainee reporter. To set the mood there are two large illustrations: ‘A [...]

Gabriel Symonds2021-04-19T01:01:15+00:004 October 2017|Categories: Nicotine Addiction, Philip Morris, Smoking Harm Reduction|

Inhale Poison to Stop Smoking

Since I'm on their mailing list, I've once again started receiving notices of the forthcoming 2017 version of the so-called Stoptober anti-smoking effort put out by Public Health England (part of the UK Department of Health). It’s not my intention to mock this campaign. Smoking is a serious problem and anything that helps people to quit is to [...]

Gabriel Symonds2022-11-24T00:02:09+00:0026 September 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Addiction, Nicotine gum, Nicotine Patches, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|

The Great E-Cigarette Confusion

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) with its punny acronym of a name seems reluctant to embrace the only action that would solve the smoking problem once and for all: calling for banning tobacco. I recently asked their Chief Executive, Ms Deborah Arnott, by email, twice, whether this is ASH’s policy, and if not, why not. The answer [...]

Gabriel Symonds2021-01-24T11:26:03+00:004 September 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Addiction, Smoking Alternatives, Smoking Harm Reduction|

Mrs May to the Rescue!

My blog Mrs May – Save Us! was a critique that I wrote in January 2017 of an appeal by a group of 1000 doctors to the UK Prime Minister and Health Secretary to publish a new Tobacco Control Plan: https://www.nicotinemonkey.com/mrs-may-save-us/ The government did so, in rather a hurry it seems, in July 2017. The details are set [...]

Gabriel Symonds2021-04-19T11:43:39+00:0020 August 2017|Categories: How to Quit Smoking, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Smoking Harm Reduction|

Tobacco Control: Feeble, Duplicitous, and Futile

Why should you need willpower to refrain from poisoning yourself? We do not need to read very far into the July 2017 edition of Tobacco Control to have demonstrated to us yet again the feebleness of the current official approach to the tobacco problem, the duplicity of the tobacco industry, and the futility of academic research into smoking. [...]

Gabriel Symonds2024-06-19T02:43:15+00:0014 August 2017|Categories: Philip Morris, Smoking Harm Reduction, Tobacco Control|

How Many Smoking Deaths in the US Would be Acceptable?

You would think, would you not, that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, MD, would understand a few basic facts about smoking and nicotine addiction. Yet, although he acknowledges that smoking is a pretty serious problem, causing more than 480,000 deaths in the US every year, in a press release of 28 July 2017 [...]

Gabriel Symonds2022-06-23T01:10:19+00:0014 August 2017|Categories: Nicotine Addiction, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Smoking Harm Reduction|

Out With ASH – In With CAT!

Gentle reader, bear with me until l come to the bit where I disclose the amazing revelation that recently came upon me. Now, the following is from the website of ASH (Action on Smoking and Health), quoting the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): While recognizing that quitting smoking is always the best option for [...]

Gabriel Symonds2022-12-24T01:06:33+00:0013 August 2017|Categories: Nicotine gum, Nicotine Patches, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Smoking Harm Reduction, Tobacco Control|

Philip Morris Tortures Animals

Yesterday Today The tobacco giant, Philip Morris International (PMI), has applied to the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to market what they call ‘modified risk tobacco products’ (MRTP), in particular, their heated tobacco contraption with the unpronounceable name of IQOS, or iQOS. They start by putting their cards on the table: ‘PMI recognizes that cigarettes are a [...]

Gabriel Symonds2021-11-19T03:45:38+00:004 July 2017|Categories: Animal experiments, Nicotine Addiction, Philip Morris, Smoking Harm Reduction|

They – Will – Cause – Death!

Dave Dorn is a trustee of the so-called New Nicotine Alliance (astonishingly, a Registered Charity in the UK). He claims that 80% of smokers who have taken up vaping have successfully switched from smoking because of what he calls the pleasure principle. The gold necklace-wearing Dave gave a talk at the Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw in [...]

Gabriel Symonds2022-05-16T04:31:05+00:0013 June 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Addiction, Smoking Alternatives, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|

Cancer Research UK’s Failure to Call for Banning Cigarettes

Why is this allowed? As an example of the continuing official confusion in about smoking/vaping, here is a statement (9 Dec 2016) by Cancer research UK: Harm reduction is a type of public health policy that aims to reduce the harmful consequences of substances, or actions, without necessarily reducing or eliminating the use itself. For example, condoms don’t [...]

Gabriel Symonds2021-03-11T08:50:39+00:0011 June 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Smoking Harm Reduction|

How to Smoke Without Smoking!

Here is an interesting piece of news reported in the online Health News (Reuters Health) on 26 May 2017. The headline is the alarming statement: ‘Heat-not-burn cigarettes still release cancer-causing chemicals.’ Shock, horror. This is according to an investigation by Dr Reto Auer and colleagues of the University of Bern, Switzerland. The heat-not-burn type of cigarette has recently [...]

Gabriel Symonds2021-06-29T01:28:55+00:008 June 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Addiction, Philip Morris, Smoking Alternatives, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|

Vaping Forever!

Here is a fantastic piece of news about an undercover investigation by the Royal Society of Public Health, reported in April 2017. They found that nine out of ten retailers of e-cigarettes ‘are turning a blind eye to their use by non-smokers, and effectively pushing them as a lifestyle product.’ Very wicked! What are vape shop staff supposed [...]

Gabriel Symonds2018-07-17T21:35:14+00:0020 May 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Addiction, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Smoking Alternatives, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|

Vaper’s Lung – The Disease That Will Never Be, I Hope

There was an interesting article two days ago in the online Manawatu Standard titled: ‘Government legalises e-cigarettes in effort to make New Zealand smokefree by 2025.’ Why 2025? Because this is a nice round figure? Why not sooner, say, 2019? Apart from the date by which the New Zealand government is trying to achieve this noble goal, it’s [...]

Gabriel Symonds2021-06-15T06:03:24+00:0031 March 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Addiction, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|

Smoke-Free but Nicotine-Trapped

I hope the copywriters of Public Health England’s ‘Smokefree’ campaign will forgive me for my satirical review of their efforts which I put in a chapter of my book, Smoking is a Psychological Problem. At least they were trying, however misguidedly, to help smokers quit. Now, the other day I wished to refresh my memory about a detail [...]

Gabriel Symonds2018-07-23T22:34:11+00:008 March 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Addiction, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|

Ditch Tobacco Completely!

You can’t say they’re not trying. Here’s news of a campaign by an organisation with the pleasant name of Fresh, announced in the online News Guardian (24 February 2017), to try to get smokers to quit. Well, so they should, if they know what’s good for them. Readers are reminded that cutting down on smoking still leaves you [...]

Gabriel Symonds2020-06-04T05:19:17+00:0027 February 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Smoking Harm Reduction|

Australia Leads the Way: Vaping is Verboten!

What’s this? A smoking doctor? No, a vaping doctor! He has the unusual name of Attila Danko, which seems to be of Eastern European provenance, possibly Hungarian, and I hope he will forgive me for saying that this perhaps explains his passing resemblance to the actor Christopher Lee in his role as Dracula from next door Romania. He [...]

Gabriel Symonds2018-11-25T02:03:45+00:0014 February 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|

Cigarette Harm Reduction? What About Harm Abolition?

I have just come across an interesting presentation by one Maciej L Goniewicz, PhD, who works at the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit of Queen Mary University of London and the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies. So he should know what he’s talking about. Oh, and he receives research funding from Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company that makes drugs [...]

Gabriel Symonds2018-07-23T22:30:11+00:0028 January 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Addiction, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Smoking Harm Reduction|

Calling Out Philip Morriss

We have to thank the BBC for bringing us news of a major scandal (online 30 November 2016). Andre Calantzopoulos, the CEO of Philip Morris, a tobacco company that turned out 850 billion cigarettes in 2015 from which it generated net revenue of about $74 billion, was recently interviewed on the BBC. AC: We produce a product that [...]

Gabriel Symonds2018-07-23T22:30:31+00:009 January 2017|Categories: Nicotine Addiction, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Philip Morris, Smoking Harm Reduction|

What’s the Harm in Smoking Harm Reduction?

Smoking ‘harm reduction’ advocates seem to be working from the premise that some degree of harm is inevitable or unavoidable in relation to smoking. But this is manifestly untrue. The harm from smoking could be eliminated rather than just reduced – if there were the political will to ban tobacco products. In the meantime the prevailing view seems [...]

Gabriel Symonds2021-04-09T02:38:15+00:007 January 2017|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|

To Vape, or Not to Vape: That is the Question!

I recently signed up for the Vaping Post, an online publication that ‘brings information on vaping’. They add, ‘We consider that the electronic cigarette (vaporizer) is a method of risk reduction for adult smokers who can’t or don’t want to quit smoking.’ Having set out their raison d'être they rightly caution that: Vaping exposes the user to the [...]

Gabriel Symonds2024-03-21T08:04:01+00:0028 November 2016|Categories: E-Cigarettes, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|

Millions and Millions of Vapers

In support of the suggestion that e-cigarettes (‘vaping’) should be available on the NHS, there is a clip shown on the BBC Radio 5 Alive program (19 August 2015) featuring Professor Kevin Fenton from Public Health England. He points out that “more than 2.5 million smokers have already purchased their own e-cigarettes…some are using them to quit, some [...]

Gabriel Symonds2018-06-14T01:09:09+00:0021 August 2015|Categories: E-Cigarettes, How to Quit Smoking, Smoking Harm Reduction, Vaping|