CAPRA Urges Asian Countries to Support Using E-cigarettes to Reduce Tobacco Harm

On June 11, according to Vapingpost, an expert panel from the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) wrote to the top ministers of nine Asia-Pacific countries, urging them to emphasize the implementation of tobacco harm reduction policies at the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

CAPHRA Director Nancy Loucas, who is also co-director of the Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA), recently pointed out that the WHO's stance on tobacco harm reduction has come at a heavy cost to many people. In the Asia-Pacific region alone, smoking causes one million deaths every year. These deaths could be avoided through the use of reliable alternatives.

"Because the WHO's position has not changed, smokers in many countries remain highly vulnerable and may continue smoking until death. We must not forget that of the world's 1.1 billion smokers, about 80% live in low- and middle-income countries such as the Philippines."

To this end, the CAPHRA Expert Advisory Group has written to senior ministers in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand. The letter explains that more than a decade of evidence shows that THR products supported by innovative technologies such as snus, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), e-cigarettes, and heat-not-burn products have the potential to combat smoking and its associated harms.

Experts said that because tar and the carcinogens found in tobacco smoke—rather than nicotine—are the source of smoking-related death and disease, these safer alternatives can serve as excellent substitutes and smoking cessation tools.

Governments continue to implement policy measures that undermine the potential for current tobacco users to shift to lower-risk nicotine consumption models. The letter states that because of the restrictive choices imposed by these policies, along with the lack of widely available information from trustworthy sources, consumers are being pushed toward greater harm rather than harm reduction.

The experts said that by resisting these NRTs, governments have failed to accept emerging science. "Governments are unable to measure changes in consumer behavior and consumption patterns, and they are failing to adapt to emerging science and consumer behavior."

"We strongly urge all parties to uphold the right to health and implement tobacco harm reduction measures as a key tobacco control strategy to address existing gaps. We raise our voices against failed campaigns that have not held governing bodies accountable for harmful actions that damage public health."

Last February, tobacco harm reduction advocates from around the world gathered in the Philippines to launch #SmokeFree4Life, a campaign also led by CAPHRA. The campaign aims to educate smokers about the availability of safer alternatives, such as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco products, as well as smokeless tobacco products such as snus.