NCD strategy proposed

Growing evidence from the US and other countries suggests that less-harmful products, such as smokeless tobacco, heat-not-burn devices, and electronic cigarettes, are viable alternatives to combustible cigarettes, according to a comment made by The Heartland Institute to the World Health Organization’s Independent High-level Commission on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The comment, signed by Lindsey Stroud, the Institute’s state government relations manager, said that these products were far more effective smoking-cessation tools than were those provided by the US’ current system of taxation and regulation, which had been remarkably ineffective in helping smokers quit.
‘We believe products such as smokeless tobacco, heat-not-burn, and electronic cigarettes have significant potential in aiding the WHO in its mission to eradicate NCDs,’ Stroud said. ‘As the evidence for their potential as effective cessation tools continues to grow, public health agencies should focus on policies that promote their use. Not only should these products be regulated differently than traditional cigarettes, public health groups should inform the public of their health potential and use these tools to combat smoking.
‘The Heartland Institute recommends the WHO:

• ‘Assist nation-states with the creation and oversight of tobacco-control programs that promote the use of less-harmful products for cessation aids. Significant health gains will be lost without the promotion of these products, as there is ample evidence indicating they are some of the most effective cessation tools.
• ‘Governments should promote policies that encourage the use of less-harmful alternatives to cigarettes, rather than creating regulatory hurdles that prevent smokers from using these products.
• ‘WHO should encourage governments to continue working with the private sector to find free-market alternatives to combustible tobacco cigarettes.’