Can we talk about ‘better’ alternatives to cigarettes?

According to American Cancer Society estimates, cigarette smoking accounts for nearly one in five deaths in the United States alone, whereby deaths resulting—whether directly or indirectly—from smoking has increased dramatically over the last 50 years. Relatedly, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease by two to four times, stroke by two to four times, and lung cancer by 25 times. Dr. Bernard Harbieh, Cardiologist at the Kesserwan Medical Center affiliated with the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), provides his take on this topic. He says, “One cigarette is made of thousands of chemicals, including at least 70 of them that are known to cause cancer, also referred to as ‘carcinogens.’ The most toxic out of these substances are tar, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide, metals, ammonia and radioactive compounds, among others. He adds by saying that