Stakeholders Advocate Strong Policies To Tackle Smoking Of Cigarettes

Experts on Wednesday called for pragmatic policies, regulations and actions that would reduce health risks from the consumption of tobacco cigarettes.

The stakeholders who spoke at a virtual meeting said this should be implemented through effective regulations that would provide safer forms of products or substances that will encourage less risky behaviours.

The discussion centred around the context and importance of tobacco harm reduction for global health; estimating the harms of nicotine products in the 21st century; and who politicians should listen to when developing tobacco policy.

They also spoke on the critical role of tobacco harm reduction for health in low and middle income countries; the framework on tobacco control accountability, policy and regulation; and the importance of the consumer voice in determining policy

Speaking at the virtual session, a Neuro Psycho Pharmacologist from England, Prof David Nutt said that while it was important to reduce harm associated with tobacco smoking, such move does not translate exclusively to the eradication of products or behaviours of consumers.

He said nicotine products are harmful in a lot of ways, adding that findings have shown that about eight million deaths are recorded yearly from diseases associated to tobacco smoking.

Nutt said that cigarettes smoking has become so dangerous that half of all the fire incidents around the world are related to smoking, adding that about 250,000 people around the world fall asleep while smoking.

He said cigarette smoking is more dangerous than vaping as it is responsible for between seven to eight million deaths annually.

Also speaking, a Health Expert Fiona Pattern said that time had come for global leaders to begin to come up with measures to reduce the harm caused by smoking.

The Director of Tobacco Harm Reduction, Malawi, Chimwemwe Ngoma said that measures to reduce the harmful effect of tobacco in low and middle income countries were still low.

He said, “Some people have turned the war against smoking into the war against nicotine.

“In lost low and medium income countries, tobacco harm reduction products are either banned completely, heavily taxed or there are no specific laws that govern tobacco farm reduction.

“There is limited knowledge and access to tobacco harm reduction products among local population.

“In most low and medium income countries, tobacco hard reduction products are very expensive compared to the easily access combustible cigarettes.”

Tobacco harm reduction, using safer nicotine products, offers new choices to millions of people worldwide who want to switch away from smoking, but have been unable to with the options previously available.

There is substantial international, independent evidence that the safer nicotine products that are available today – including nicotine vaping devices (e-cigarettes), heated tobacco products.