The tobacco industry is constantly inventing and reinventing products, designed to keep customers addicted to a substance that kills if used as intended. Their latest attempt is heated tobacco products, which are creeping their way into the market, gaining the attention of tobacco users and attracting new customers.[i]

• Heated tobacco products, also known as “heat-not-burn products,” heat processed tobacco leaf which allows users to inhale nicotine into their lungs.[i]
• These products heat at various temperatures, contain dry, moist, or liquid ingredients, and appear in a wide variety of styles. They require the use of an electronic element that heats the tobacco to a high enough temperature to produce an aerosol that the user inhales.

What are heated tobacco products?

The three largest heated tobacco product brands in 2020 were IQOS by Philip Morris International (PMI), glo by British American Tobacco (BAT) and Ploom TECH from Japan Tobacco.

• Research suggests that heated tobacco products contain many of the same harmful ingredients as conventional cigarettes, as well as additional harmful ingredients not found in cigarettes.[i]

• Heated tobacco products are new to the United States, and scientists are still learning about their short-term and long-term health effects.[i]
  • The bottom line is that the use of any tobacco product, including heated tobacco product, is harmful.[ii] Whether they are heated by flame or electronically, heated tobacco products contain nicotine,[iii] a highly addictive substance.[iv]
• Don’t let new products deter you from quitting tobacco. While these are the first to receive exposure modification orders, they are still a tobacco product that can harm you. If you are looking to quit, Tobacco Free Florida can set you up for success.
• As with other products, we are concerned that smokers add these devices to their daily tobacco use, similar to how most people who use e-cigarettes also continue to smoke conventional cigarettes. Even if IQOS was safer, dual use would negate any benefit and may increase harm.

Is History Repeating Itself?

Heated tobacco products, like IQOS, have taken their marketing and advertising efforts to another level by creating high-tech and luxurious storefronts that promote their brand as a lifestyle product.

This is just another ploy used by Big Tobacco in order to normalize tobacco and reshape public perception about the tobacco industry. But, using chic models and high-end product design does not mask the true harm these products can do to consumers.

How To Quit Smoking

• Create a quit plan
• Set a Quit Date
• Use Nicotine Replacement Therapy
• Talk to a healthcare provider, such as your doctor, dentist or pharmacist.

For free help to quit tobacco, visit Tobacco Free Florida’s Quit Your Way tools and services.

Additional Resources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Heated Tobacco Products
• Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids: Heated Tobacco Products

[1] Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. “Heated Tobacco Products” https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/global/heated-tobacco-products [Accessed October 20, 2020]

[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Heated Tobacco Products” CDC Office on Smoking and Health. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/heated-tobacco-products/index.html#what-are-htp  [Accessed September 14, 2020]

[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Heated Tobacco Products” CDC Office on Smoking and Health. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/heated-tobacco-products/index.html#what-are-htp  [Accessed September 14, 2020]

[4] Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. “Heated Tobacco Products” https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/global/heated-tobacco-products [Accessed October 20, 2020]

[5] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Heated Tobacco Products” CDC Office on Smoking and Health. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/heated-tobacco-products/index.html#what-are-htp  [Accessed September 14, 2020]

[6] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Heated Tobacco Products” CDC Office on Smoking and Health. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/heated-tobacco-products/index.html#what-are-htp  [Accessed September 14, 2020]

[7] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Heated Tobacco Products” CDC Office on Smoking and Health. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/heated-tobacco-products/index.html#what-are-htp  [Accessed September 14, 2020]

[8] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Heated Tobacco Products” CDC Office on Smoking and Health. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/heated-tobacco-products/index.html#what-are-htp  [Accessed September 14, 2020]

[9] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. E-cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. pdf icon[PDF–8.47 MB] Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2016. [Accessed September 14, 2020]