One hundred specialists call for WHO to change its hostile stance on tobacco harm reduction

A LETTER by one hundred of the world’s leading tobacco and nicotine experts calling on governments to demand that the World Health Organization (WHO) reforms its strategy to prevent tobacco-related deaths has been welcomed by local non-profit, Campaign for Safer Alternatives (CASA).

100 specialists in nicotine science, policy and practice have come together to call on the 182 parties (countries) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to take a more positive stance on tobacco harm reduction.  The letter pushes back against WHO’s misguided and unscientific drive for prohibition or excessive regulation and taxation of vaping products, heated and smokeless tobacco products, and novel oral nicotine products, such as pouches.

The letter, which is addressed to all countries attending the WHO’s Conference of the Parties on Tobacco (COP9) on the 8^th November says that the WHO’S misguided and unscientific approach to tobacco harm-reduction is failing to prevent the 8 million deaths caused by tobacco every year.

Signed by experts from 30 countries, the letter says, “regrettably, WHO has been dismissive of the potential to transform the tobacco market from high-risk to low-risk products. WHO is rejecting a public health strategy that could avoid millions of smoking-related deaths”?

Chairman of CASA, Joseph Magero said, “I started smoking when I was 16 and it was only through using nicotine pouches that I was eventually able to quit. If Kenya is going to become a leader in reducing tobacco-related harm then we need to make sure that smokers have access to the best tools.

“Scientific studies like the Cochrane Review shows that smokers who use vaping or nicotine pouches to quit are far more likely to be successful than smokers who use nicotine replacement therapies or those who go it alone. For smokers in Africa, access to these tools could be the difference between life and death.”

The letter references the comprehensive body of scientific research in favor of tobacco harm-reduction policies and the use of alternative nicotine sources in the fight against smoking.

The letter also points to the harmful unintended consequences of WHO’s opposition to safer nicotine products and the impact that prohibitionist policies have on smokers who are struggling to quit.

“In recent months, the US, France and New Zealand have all taken steps to ensure adult smokers can access alternative nicotine products. It’s time for Kenya to take the lead in Africa in reducing smoking rates by embracing harm-reduction policies.”

The letter includes six recommendations to countries attending the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) ninth Conference of the Parties (COP9):

1. Make tobacco harm reduction part of the strategy to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
2. Insist the WHO makes a robust assessment of reduced-risk products.
3. Consider the unintended consequences of proposals.
4. Properly apply Article 5.3 of the FCTC, but don’t create a counterproductive barrier to reduced-risk products.
5. Make the FCTC negotiations more open to stakeholders.
6. Complete an independent review of WHO and the FCTC with regards to SDGs.

The letter from 100 global experts can be accessed here: https://clivebates.com/one-hundred-specialists-call-for-who-to-change-stance-on-tobacco-harm-reduction/