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Tag: CAPHRA

  • CAPHRA Slams WHO Over Barriers to COP11 Participation

    CAPHRA Slams WHO Over Barriers to COP11 Participation

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) criticized the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) for imposing what it calls “insane” registration requirements for the upcoming COP11 in Geneva. Executive Coordinator Nancy Loucas said the late opening of registration, coupled with onerous demands for personal documentation, a letter of intent, a full CV, and a declaration of zero tobacco funding, is deliberately designed to exclude consumer advocacy groups and harm reduction voices. Despite the FCTC being in place for two decades, not a single consumer group has ever been granted observer status, while only 26 NGOs have been approved overall, far fewer than in comparable UN forums such as climate negotiations.

    CAPHRA said the WHO’s restrictive interpretation of Article 5.3 has been weaponized to silence stakeholders, including people who smoke or use safer nicotine products. Proceedings remain closed to the media and the public, with no live streaming or meaningful transparency, a practice Loucas calls fundamentally undemocratic. CAPHRA is urging reform to allow full and fair participation, stressing that genuine tobacco harm reduction requires including the very consumers most affected by global policy decisions.

  • Asia Forum on Nicotine Pushes for Harm Reduction Ahead of COP11

    Asia Forum on Nicotine Pushes for Harm Reduction Ahead of COP11

    The inaugural Asia Forum on Nicotine (AFN25) was hailed as a success by its host, the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), which gathered experts and advocates urging the adoption of tobacco harm reduction across the Asia-Pacific, home to 781 million smokers.

    Speakers criticized the WHO FCTC for rejecting safer alternatives like vaping and heated tobacco, despite evidence that they are 95% less harmful than cigarettes. They warned that bans drive black markets and stall progress, citing successes in Sweden, Japan, and New Zealand.

    With COP11 approaching in November, CAPHRA cautioned that excluding THR voices risks condemning millions to preventable deaths.

  • Singapore to Treat Vaping as a Drug Offence, CAPHRA Objects

    Singapore to Treat Vaping as a Drug Offence, CAPHRA Objects

    Singapore will impose tougher nationwide enforcement against vaping, treating it as a drug issue with severe penalties with offenders facing possible jail sentences, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said during his National Day Rally on Aug 17. Wong said the government is acting due to rising cases of e-vaporizers laced with harmful substances, particularly etomidate, which has been linked to seizures and erratic behavior.

    Authorities reported a sharp rise in seizures, with the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) confiscating S$41 million ($32 million) worth of e-vaporizers between January 2024 and March 2025, compared to just S$95,460 ($74,500) in 2019. This includes 28 cases of etomidate-laced pods in the first half of 2025, nearly triple the number detected in 2024.

    Under the planned changes, etomidate will be listed as a Class C controlled drug, subjecting users to mandatory rehabilitation programs and repeat offenders to jail terms. Sellers and importers face penalties of up to 20 years in prison and caning.

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) criticized Singapore’s decision to treat vaping as a drug offence, warning that harsher penalties and jail terms risk undermining global evidence on tobacco harm reduction.

    CAPHRA executive coordinator Nancy Loucas said the policy conflates contaminated black-market products with legitimate nicotine devices. “This is like banning all alcohol because some criminals sell methanol-laced spirits,” she argued, adding that prohibition will only fuel underground markets while denying smokers access to safer alternatives.

    Singapore banned e-cigarettes in 2018, yet smoking rates have remained stagnant at 10–16% for over a decade despite strict tobacco control. CAPHRA said countries regulating safer nicotine products, including the UK, Sweden, Japan, and New Zealand, are seeing steep declines in smoking-related deaths, urging Singapore to embrace regulation over prohibition.

  • CAPHRA Slams Global Public Health Failures, Urges Policy Reform

    CAPHRA Slams Global Public Health Failures, Urges Policy Reform

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) released a scathing report this weekend, calling out governments for failing to uphold basic human rights in public health policy, particularly in their handling of tobacco control.

    Titled “The Right to Health and Public Health Policy,” the report criticizes the continued overregulation or banning of safer nicotine alternatives like vaping, while combustible cigarettes remain widely accessible. Authors Nancy Loucas and Clarisse Virgino argue this contradicts international human rights laws guaranteeing the right to health.

    “Governments are demonstrating extraordinary hypocrisy in their approach to tobacco control,” said Loucas. “They simultaneously tax tobacco products, creating reliance on tobacco revenue, whilst claiming to fight tobacco use.”

    The report calls for urgent reform, demanding public health systems prioritize accessibility, scientific integrity, and harm reduction. Without accountability and transparency, CAPHRA warns, global health inequalities will only worsen.

    Read the entire position paper here. 

  • CAPHRA Challenges WHO’s Tobacco Control Approach

    CAPHRA Challenges WHO’s Tobacco Control Approach

    A new Shadow Report from the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) criticizes the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global tobacco control strategy for neglecting harm reduction — a key component of the WHO’s own Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). CAPHRA’s report argues that countries strictly following WHO’s MPOWER measures, like Thailand and India, have seen only limited declines in smoking, while nations adopting harm reduction tools, such as vaping, have achieved greater success. It cites the UK, Japan, New Zealand, and Canada as leading examples.

    With over 1 billion smokers worldwide, CAPHRA calls for “practical, science-based solutions” to replace abstinence-only approaches. The group also condemns the exclusion of harm reduction advocates from policy discussions under FCTC Article 5.3.

    “This is a call to action,” the report states. “We must replace moralistic dogma with practical solutions. It is time to make smoking — the deadliest form of tobacco use — public enemy No. 1, and to deploy harm reduction as a frontline strategy.”

  • CAPHRA Urges Philippines Leaders to Reform Policies 

    CAPHRA Urges Philippines Leaders to Reform Policies 

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) said it acknowledges Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s decision to retain Dr. Teodoro Herbosa as Secretary of Health but called for urgent reforms to align the Department of Health’s (DOH) policies with global evidence on tobacco harm reduction. CAPHRA argued leadership must now prioritize science over ideology to address the Philippines’ stalled progress in reducing smoking-related deaths. 

    “While we respect the President’s decision, it is deeply concerning that the DOH continues to ignore the role of safer nicotine products in saving lives,” said Clarisse Yvette P. Virgino, CAPHRA’s Philippine Representative. “Secretary Herbosa’s reappointment must mark a turning point—a commitment to evidence-based strategies, not continued reliance on outdated prohibitionist policies.” 

    CAPHRA said that under Herbosa’s tenure, the Philippines has maintained regressive vaping regulations despite global precedents. It pointed to the UK’s National Health Service as an example, attributing its record-low 6% smoking rate to regulated vaping access, while Australia’s pharmacy-only model has fueled a thriving black market without reducing smoking rates. 

    “The DOH’s refusal to distinguish between deadly combustible tobacco and safer alternatives like vaping perpetuates needless deaths,” Virgino said. “Over 60% of Filipino smokers still wrongly believe nicotine causes cancer—a myth the DOH has done little to correct. 

    “The DOH’s current approach fails the ‘pub test.’ How can we claim progress when 16 million Filipinos still smoke and illicit trade thrives? Secretary Herbosa must choose: Will he defend outdated dogma, or embrace innovation that saves lives?” 

  • CAPHRA: Facts, Not Myths, Must Guide Harm Reduction

    CAPHRA: Facts, Not Myths, Must Guide Harm Reduction

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) released a new white paper, “Understanding Nicotine: The Facts, Not the Myths,” warning that persistent misinformation about nicotine is undermining global efforts to reduce smoking-related harm.

    “Nicotine is not what causes cancer or heart disease. It’s the toxic smoke from burning tobacco that kills,” said Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA. “Decades of fear-based messaging have confused the public and even health professionals.”

    CAPHRA’s research highlights that over 60% of smokers still mistakenly believe nicotine is the primary cause of cancer, discouraging them from switching to vastly safer smoke-free alternatives like vapes, nicotine pouches, patches, and gums.

    The white paper emphasizes that while nicotine can lead to dependence, its use in non-combustible forms carries only a fraction of the risk associated with smoking. CAPHRA urges governments to embrace risk-proportionate policies and stop demonizing nicotine.

    “It’s time to move beyond outdated myths and focus on harm reduction strategies that save lives,” Loucas said. “Public health policies must be grounded in science, not stigma.”

  • Australia’s Anti-Smoking Push Fuels Crime, Fails to Curb Smoking 

    Australia’s Anti-Smoking Push Fuels Crime, Fails to Curb Smoking 

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) condemned Australia’s tobacco control strategy as a “public health failure” that prioritizes ideology over evidence, fueling a A$6.3 billion ($4.1 billion)  illicit tobacco market while adult smoking rates remain stagnant. New data reveals one in four cigarettes consumed in Australia originates from the black market — CAPHRA says that is a direct consequence of the world’s highest tobacco taxes and restrictive vaping policies.  

    CAPHRA argues this crisis exposes a fatal flaw in Australia’s approach: prohibition without offering safer alternatives drives consumers to criminal networks rather than reducing harm. 

    “Australia’s tobacco policy doesn’t pass the pub test,” said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA’s executive coordinator. “Sky-high cigarette prices haven’t made people quit—they’ve made criminals rich.

    “The government’s own figures show smoking rates flatlined at 11% since 2019 despite taxing a pack to A$50 ($32.50). Meanwhile, organized crime syndicates pocket A$2.3 billion ($1.5 billion) annually in evaded excise, funding drug trafficking and violent turf wars.” 

    CAPHRA’s data said Australia’s illicit tobacco trade has surged by 46% since 2020, with over 800,000 smuggled cigarettes intercepted monthly at airports. Criminal syndicates increasingly exploit international travelers, while fire bombings of non-compliant retailers exceed 220 incidents since 2023. 

    “This isn’t just about lost tax revenue—it’s about community safety,” Loucas said. “Melbourne’s ‘tobacco war’ has seen shops torched and innocent bystanders endangered. The government transformed a health issue into a national security crisis by ignoring basic economics: punitive taxes without alternatives breed black markets.” 

  • CAPHRA Issues Report on Suppressing, Distorting Information

    CAPHRA Issues Report on Suppressing, Distorting Information

    A new report from the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) raised concerns about the long-term consequences of suppressing or distorting scientific information during public health crises. Titled “The Cost of Concealment: The People Pay the Price,” the report examines how failures in transparency and accountability can erode public trust and compromise health outcomes. 

    The report identifies a recurring pattern in which political pressures, institutional interests, and reputational concerns have influenced how critical health information is communicated. This pattern, the report suggests, has been evident in past events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently in the restructuring of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, and Argentina’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization.

    “In times of crisis, the public depends on officials and scientists to provide clear, objective, and timely information,” said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator for CAPHRA. “When this duty is compromised, the consequences are measured not just in lost trust, but in lost lives.”

    The report emphasizes that limited transparency and selective reporting can have global ramifications, empowering misinformation, weakening public institutions, and leading to ineffective policy responses. It concludes with a call for renewed commitment to ethical standards, transparency, and scientific independence, and urges officials, researchers, and institutions to prioritize public welfare over political or personal interests.

    “When science is manipulated or dissenting views are silenced, it ceases to be a tool of discovery and becomes a tool of conformity,” said Clarisse Virgino, CAPHRA’s representative in the Philippines.

    Read the entire report here. 

  • CAPHRA Condemns WHO’s Anti-Science Agenda on World Vape Day 

    CAPHRA Condemns WHO’s Anti-Science Agenda on World Vape Day 

    Yesterday (May 26), the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) challenged the World Health Organization’s anti-vaping stance as “scientifically bankrupt,” accusing it of endangering public health by ignoring evidence that safer nicotine products save lives. 

    The rebuke coincided with the upcoming WHO’s World No Tobacco Day on May 30, which CAPHRA claims weaponizes misinformation to justify prohibitionist policies.

    “The WHO’s ‘Health For All’ mantra rings hollow when it dismisses vaping’s life-saving potential,” said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA’s Executive Coordinator. “Their 2025 theme masks a dangerous agenda: protecting cigarette markets by vilifying harm reduction.” 

    Loucas condemned WHO’s exclusion of consumer advocates from COP10 talks. “Silencing experts while citing debunked ‘gateway’ theories exposes their fear of facts,” she said. She highlighted stark contrasts as UK youth smoking halved to 3.6% since 2012 under regulated vaping, while Maldives’ vaping ban saw youth smoking rise 12%. 

    “Vaping is 95% safer than smoking, a fact repeatedly proven, and has contributed to a fast declining smoking rate in countries where it is regulated, that WHO ignores to appease anti-nicotine ideologues,” Loucas said. “This isn’t public health. It’s prohibitionist theatre that sacrifices smokers’ lives.

    “The WHO equates vaping with smoking, yet 82 million ex-smokers globally prove otherwise. Their 1980s-style fearmongering helps nobody but cigarette traders. This World Vape Day, we demand the WHO stop lying. Regulate vaping strictly, educate honestly, and watch smoking collapse. The UK model works. Ideological bans kill.”