Former South African Parliamentary Health Portfolio Committee Chair Sibongiseni Dhlomo urged policymakers to incorporate tobacco harm reduction into the country’s Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, arguing that the government should apply the same public health principles used in HIV prevention and other risk-reduction programs. Speaking at a health policy event in Johannesburg, Dhlomo said regulation should distinguish between combustible cigarettes and smoke-free nicotine products, noting that public consultations and scientific evidence had changed his views on the continuum of risk associated with different nicotine products.
The comments come as Parliament prepares to begin clause-by-clause deliberations on the tobacco bill following approval of its desirability in June. Other speakers, including Gauteng Health MEC Faith Mazibuko and former Health MEC Dr. Bandile Masuku, also endorsed harm reduction as a broader public health strategy, while Philip Morris International said science should guide tobacco regulation and that adult smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit should be encouraged to switch completely to less harmful non-combustible alternatives.
