Tobacco harm reduction (THR) experts are calling on FCTC member states to distinguish between regulations on harmful tobacco products and safe alternatives.
As the high-profile COP10 conference of the Parties begins next Monday, public health experts are advocating for different regulations for new nicotine products such as vapes, nicotine pouches and snus compared to cigarettes. They insist that smoke-free alternatives are significantly less harmful and could help tackle the global smoking problem.
Studies conducted around the world have consistently shown that these products, carry significantly lower risks than traditional cigarettes. Experts in the field emphasize that the harm from tobacco is mainly due to inhalation of smoke, not nicotine. Therefore, switching to smoke-free alternatives can significantly reduce harm.
Experts' call to WHO ignored
Professor David Sweanor, chair of the advisory board at the University of Ottawa, recently reiterated that imposing similarly stringent regulations on these products could discourage people from switching from cigarettes to safer alternatives, while Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce from the University of Oxford reminded that although nicotine is addictive, it does not cause the harm associated with smoking.
Along with his colleagues, Professor Peter Hajek from Queen Mary University of London has criticised the World Health Organization’s (WHO) anti-e-vaping stance , claiming that it hinders the transition to safer alternatives. Similarly, lung expert Dr Riccardo Polosa from the University of Catania has advocated for innovative tobacco control policies that promote non-combustible alternatives for adult smokers.
Experts around the world have called for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to be amended to incorporate harm reduction strategies. Several countries, including the UK, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand and Japan, have seen significant reductions in smoking rates by allowing the use of alternative tobacco products.
The THR experts envision a future where smoking-related diseases could disappear as smoking becomes obsolete through the use of less risky nicotine products that do not involve combustion. To this end, they call on COP organizers and participating delegations to address topics related to “new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products.” The experts call for a reassessment of tobacco control policies, emphasizing harm reduction and considering the integration of non-combustible alternatives.
Reducing tobacco harm compared to banning
The 6th Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction: New Products, Research & Policies , held last October, highlighted that strategies that provide smokers with less harmful alternatives to traditional cigarettes would be more effective in reducing smoking than the ban-based approach proposed by the COP.
GSTHR (Global Status of Tobacco Harm Reduction) recently conducted an analysis of the COP10 agenda and accompanying documents, with the aim of assessing the conference's potential impact on tobacco harm reduction.
The findings suggest a lack of consideration for tobacco risk reduction and the potential to reduce smoking-related health problems in the planned litigation, which is sad but not surprising. It is expected that FCTC member states will be encouraged to classify and ban nicotine vapes, snus, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products in the same way as combustible cigarettes.
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