PRESS RELEASE
Philip Morris South Africa (PMSA) has urged Members of Parliament in the Portfolio Committee on Health to adopt a science-driven approach to tobacco regulation that protects young people while empowering the country’s 11 million adult smokers with better choices. The company stressed that South Africa has a historic opportunity to reduce smoking-related disease by embracing harm reduction – the same strategy that helped turn the tide against HIV/AIDS.
Presenting to the committee on Tuesday, PMSA Director of External Affairs, Southern Africa, Themba Mathebula, explained that South Africa already knew harm reduction works.
“In this country, we know that harm reduction saved lives. South Africa was at the forefront of the battle against HIV/AIDS. We met people where they were. We gave them options. We gave them tools, and most of all, we gave them choice. The quit or die approach has not been proven to be effective, and we know it will not work. Without a doubt, smoke-free products can give smokers a fighting chance, not just to survive, but to quit smoking for good,” he said.
PMSA cautioned that the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, in its current form, treats all products as equal and risks undermining progress by failing to distinguish between combustible cigarettes and far less harmful smoke-free alternatives such as heated tobacco, e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products.
Buhle Binta, PMSA Head of Scientific Engagement, Sub-Saharan Africa, presented independent research which showed that heated tobacco products (HTP) expose users to far fewer harmful chemicals than traditional cigarettes. A 2020 report from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health found that users of HTP were exposed to 10 to 25 times fewer carcinogens. Countries such as Japan, the UK and New Zealand have already recorded major drops in smoking rates after introducing smoke-free alternatives, while Sweden is on track to become the first smoke-free nation in Europe, largely due to its practical stance on oral nicotine products.
“The best choice a smoker can make for their health is to quit altogether. However, we appreciate from evidence that not everyone does. So the next best option for those who do not quit is to change and we believe they need to be supported to switch to scientifically proven reduced-risk products,” said Binta.
She said PMSA had submitted a comprehensive dossier of the studies it had accumulated over the years to the committee.
“It is about 19 books’ worth of research that undeniably shows that smoke-free products are less harmful alternatives for adult smokers who make the choice to continue smoking. Scientific evidence needs to be the North Star that informs our health policies. This is an opportunity for us to accelerate the decline in smoking rates in South Africa. Let us strive to be the example in Africa that will be used as a benchmark. We have done this in the case of the HIV pandemic and we can do it in dealing with the burden of tobacco-related illnesses,” said Binta.
Mathebula underscored that no tobacco product is risk-free but science has consistently shown that non-combustible alternatives present significantly less harm.
“Our scientific assessments of our heated tobacco products have shown that, by removing the process of combustion, the aerosol produced by our products contains 90 to 95 percent lower levels of harmful chemicals than in cigarette smoke.”
“Seeking to regulate empirically different products the same way is not rational. Also, ignoring evidence of the different risks and benefits that are presented by smoke-free products is not rational. It is highly irrational to embrace a theory over robust scientific evidence to make a policy determination. We were told several times that harm is harm and I hope by now the committee will appreciate that such a statement does not have a place in the Bill.”
Mathebula concluded with a direct appeal.
“Our recommendation to the committee is to let us save lives. We’ve done it before. We can do it again, despite a lot of skepticism. We can do so by regulating based on available evolving scientific evidence. We can adopt tobacco harm reduction strategies alongside control measures. The two are not enemies. They can work together.”
PMSA recommended that the Bill be comprehensive enough to cover all products, including oral nicotine pouches. It stressed that harm reduction should work alongside tobacco control, noting that the two approaches are complementary and effective when combined.
The Bill should embed a risk-proportionate framework, applying stricter measures to combustible products while setting differentiated rules for less harmful alternatives. Addressing youth access, PMSA called for urgent action and rejected packaging that could appeal to minors, saying “a vape does not need to look like a milkshake for adults to use it.”
PMSA urged a review of the Bill’s broad definition of “promote,” warning that, in its current form, it could criminalise even health experts or families for sharing accurate information about smoke-free products.
Mathebula said PMSA had already invested billions globally in developing scientifically substantiated smoke-free products, available in 97 markets including South Africa, with a single aim.
“We have committed and we want to make cigarettes obsolete,” said Mathebula.
