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  • CAPHRA Urges COP11 Attendees to Shift View on Harm Reduction 

    CAPHRA Urges COP11 Attendees to Shift View on Harm Reduction 

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today (March 31) urged global tobacco control policymakers to abandon outdated prohibitionist approaches and embrace harm reduction strategies grounded in science.  

    Ahead of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s (FCTC) COP11 meeting later this year, CAPHRA emphasized that meaningful progress requires inclusion, transparency, and a commitment to evidence-based policymaking. 

    Despite decades of tobacco control efforts, global smoking rates have stagnated at 1.1 billion smokers since 2000. CAPHRA attributes this failure to the FCTC’s refusal to engage with harm reduction strategies or include consumer organizations in its decision-making processes. 

    “The FCTC’s ‘quit or die’ approach has failed. It’s time for a mindset shift that prioritizes science over ideology and inclusion over exclusion,” Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA Executive Coordinator, said. “Consumer organizations like CAPHRA represent millions who have successfully transitioned to safer alternatives—our lived experiences must inform policy. 

    “COP11 presents an opportunity for the WHO FCTC to finally grant observer status to consumer advocacy groups. Without the voices of those directly impacted by tobacco harm reduction strategies, policymaking remains disconnected from reality. The secrecy surrounding COP meetings undermines trust and progress. Hosting open consultations with civil society during proceedings would ensure accountability and bring much-needed balance to global tobacco control discussions.” 

  • CAPHRA Continues Criticism of WHO’s Funding, Procedures

    CAPHRA Continues Criticism of WHO’s Funding, Procedures

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today (March 24) condemned the World Health Organization (WHO) for dismissing its recent scrutiny of the WHO’s funding as “misinformation,” when it said it allows billionaire philanthropies to disproportionately influence global tobacco policy.

    “The WHO’s hypocrisy is staggering, it attacks critics as purveyors of ‘misinformation’ while allowing private donors like the Gates Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies to steer its agenda,” said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA Executive Coordinator.  

    CAPHRA said Euronews confirmed that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is WHO’s second-largest donor, contributing 12% of its total budget, and that Bloomberg Philanthropies has funded anti-harm reduction campaigns in Asia-Pacific nations, including the Philippines and India. 

    CAPHRA accuses the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) COP meetings of operating “under unprecedented secrecy compared to other UN conventions. No consumer group representing smokers or ex-smokers has ever been granted observer status, violating the WHO’s own guidelines for civil society engagement.” A 2023 WHO Western Pacific Office report emphasized that “meaningful engagement of civil society” is critical to tobacco control—a principle CAPHRA says is ignored by the FCTC. 

    CAPHRA also says internal documents reveal the FCTC Secretariat controls all COP agendas and materials, with Bloomberg-funded NGOs often drafting policy recommendations for low-income countries, creating an echo chamber that excludes scientific evidence supporting safer nicotine alternatives. 

    “When billionaires dictate policy while the WHO silences consumer voices, public health becomes secondary to ideology,” Loucas stated. “The FCTC’s failure is undeniable—global smoking rates remain unchanged since 2000, with 1.1 billion smokers worldwide. We demand the WHO FCTC grant observer status to consumer groups at COP11, host open consultations with civil society during proceedings, and implement UN human rights oversight for tobacco control policies. Accountability and inclusion are non-negotiable. The WHO must prioritize science over dogma to save lives.”   

  • CAPHRA Backs Evidence That Vaping Could Save Thousands of Thai Lives 

    CAPHRA Backs Evidence That Vaping Could Save Thousands of Thai Lives 

     The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today (March 19) endorsed compelling evidence presented by Asa Saligupta, Director of ENDs Cigarette Smoke Thailand, highlighting the life-saving potential of vaping as an alternative to deadly combustible cigarettes. 

    The Bangkok Post has revealed a stark public health contradiction: while smoking cigarettes is blamed for 71,000 Thai deaths annually, there has not been a single recorded death from e-cigarette use in Thailand. Yet conventional cigarettes remain widely available while vaping products remain prohibited. 

    “The evidence from Thailand mirrors what we’ve seen across the Asia-Pacific region—policies driven by misinformation rather than science are costing lives,” said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA Executive Coordinator. “When Public Health England concluded that vaping is approximately 95% safer than smoking cigarettes, they provided a scientific foundation that many countries have used to develop sensible harm reduction policies.” 

    CAPHRA acknowledges concerns regarding youth access but emphasizes that proper regulation—not prohibition—is the appropriate solution. “We support restrictions on marketing to young people, but banning products that could save millions of adult smokers from premature death is neither,” Loucas said. “Thailand stands at a crossroads. It can continue its failed prohibition approach, or it can join the growing number of countries following scientific evidence to implement sensible regulations that will save countless lives.”

  • CAPHRA Accuses “Foreign Billionaires” of Influencing Tobacco Policies

    CAPHRA Accuses “Foreign Billionaires” of Influencing Tobacco Policies

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today (March 10) called for greater transparency in global tobacco control governance, citing evidence of external influence in domestic policymaking across Asia-Pacific. The organization has documented patterns suggesting Bloomberg Philanthropies has exercised inappropriate influence over tobacco harm reduction policies in the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam. 

    Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA’s Executive Coordinator, expressed concern with what the organization perceives as ideologically driven approaches. “When foreign billionaires shape national health policies through strategic funding while excluding regional experts, we must question whether public health remains the priority,” Loucas said. “Our investigations reveal instances where domestic policies appear directly influenced by external funding priorities rather than evidence-based approaches.” 

    In February 2025, CAPHRA joined with ARDT Iberoamerica, and CASA Africa in requesting clarification from the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Harm Reduction regarding comments in their report on tobacco harm reduction. The coalition received no response. 

    “The continued silence from the Special Rapporteur underscores a pattern of dismissing stakeholder concerns when they don’t align with predetermined positions,” Loucas said. 

    CAPHRA highlighted the upcoming COP11 as a critical moment for reasserting national sovereignty in tobacco control policy, emphasizing countries that have implemented progressive harm reduction frameworks—such as the Philippines, Japan, and New Zealand. 

     “It’s time to hold global public health institutions to their core mission of protecting health based on science rather than ideology,” Loucas said. 

  • FCTC Slammed for Self-Congratulatory Approach

    FCTC Slammed for Self-Congratulatory Approach

    Last week, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) – one of the biggest United Nations treaties in history – celebrated its 20th anniversary with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calling tobacco a plague on humanity.

    “Over the past two decades … global tobacco use prevalence has dropped by one-third,” he said. “The WHO FCTC has helped to save millions of lives through strengthened tobacco control measures around the world.”

    Not everyone was impressed, however, as today the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) condemned the FCTC for “celebrating institutional achievements whilst millions across the Asia Pacific region continue to die from preventable smoking-related diseases.”  

    “The FCTC’s self-congratulatory approach is deeply offensive to communities devastated by preventable tobacco deaths,” said Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA. “While they celebrate incremental victories, over one billion people globally continue smoking, with the majority in low and middle-income countries across our region. Their refusal to acknowledge harm reduction alternatives is costing countless lives.” 

    CAPHRA said that despite mounting evidence supporting tobacco harm reduction, the FCTC continues to marginalize consumer advocates while maintaining policies that deny smokers access to potentially life-saving alternatives. The FCTC systematically excludes these voices from policy deliberations, dismissing their lived experiences and denying others who smoke in Asia the opportunity to access reduced harm alternatives.  

     “The FCTC’s unwillingness to evolve in the face of overwhelming evidence amounts to a human rights issue,” Loucas said. “By reducing tobacco harm reduction to an industry construct, the FCTC effectively sentences millions to preventable suffering.” 

    CAPHRA is calling on delegates of the upcoming COP11 meeting to “adopt risk-proportionate regulations that distinguish safer alternatives from deadly combustible products, subject FCTC policies to UN human rights oversight, and acknowledge the successes of countries who have embraced tobacco harm reduction in their public health policies that confirms the scientific consensus on safer nicotine products as critical harm reduction tools.” 

  • CAPHRA Wants WHO to Embrace Consumer Voices

    CAPHRA Wants WHO to Embrace Consumer Voices

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) demanded the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) end its exclusion of consumer organizations and adopt evidence-based tobacco harm reduction (THR) as a vital public health strategy ahead of its COP11 meeting.

    CAPHRA called on COP11 delegates to grant formal observer status to consumer groups, adopt risk-proportionate regulations distinguishing safer products from cigarettes, and subject WHO FCTC policies to United Nations human rights oversight.

    “The WHO must evolve. Consumer advocates are not the enemy—they’re the bridge to pragmatic solutions and essential partners in reducing smoking-related harm,” said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA Executive Coordinator. “COP11 must prioritize transparency and science over ideology. Lives hang in the balance.”

    CAPHRA pointed to New Zealand’s progressive vaping policies that have helped the adult smoking rate drop below 6% in 2024 and Japan’s adoption of heated tobacco products have also driven smoking rates to record lows. Conversely, Australia’s prohibitionist approach has fueled a thriving black market for unregulated vaping products, exposing consumers to greater risks.

    “The WHO’s refusal to engage with consumer groups—those most directly affected by its policies—undermines global public health,” said Loucas. “By silencing consumer voices and dismissing safer alternatives, they prioritize ideology over science, costing lives.”

  • CAPHRA Urges End to Vape Disinformation

    CAPHRA Urges End to Vape Disinformation

    Vapor Voice archives

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) states that as it celebrates World Vape Day on May 30, 2024, the organization is urging global leaders to recognize the life-saving potential of safer nicotine products and to expose the ongoing disinformation campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

    “Despite overwhelming scientific evidence supporting the reduced risk of vaping compared to combustible tobacco products, the WHO continues to ignore the facts and mislead the public,” said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA. “These products, including e-cigarettes, snus, and heated tobacco products (HTPs), offer a viable alternative for millions of smokers seeking to reduce their health risks.

    “The GSTHR reports have shown that these alternatives are not only effective in reducing harm but also play a significant role in public health by providing accessible and acceptable options for smokers worldwide.”

    CAPHRA has criticized the WHO’s exclusionary tactics, particularly at the 10th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10). By excluding consumer groups and harm reduction advocates, the WHO has demonstrated a blatant disregard for the voices of those directly impacted by tobacco use, according to an emailed press release.

    “One of the most egregious aspects of the WHO’s stance is its use of children as pawns to propagate the false narrative that vaping is not a tobacco harm reduction product,” said Loucas. “This disinformation campaign not only undermines the credibility of harm reduction efforts but also jeopardizes the health of millions of adult smokers who could benefit from switching to safer alternatives.”

    CAPHRA is calling on all vaping industry stakeholders, including policymakers, public health officials, and the media, to recognize the truth about tobacco harm reduction. The release states that it is time to challenge the disinformation spread by the WHO and advocate for evidence-based policies that prioritize the health and well-being of smokers worldwide.

    “It’s time for the WHO and FCTC to listen to consumers and integrate harm reduction into their policies. Only then can we tackle both the public health crisis of smoking and the escalating illicit tobacco trade,” said Loucas. “The WHO’s stance not only ignores the evidence supporting these strategies but also undermines the global fight against the tobacco epidemic.”

  • CAPHRA Reports on FCTC Harm Reduction

    CAPHRA Reports on FCTC Harm Reduction

    Photo: Maren Winter

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has released its Shadow Report on the (NON)-Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 1 (d) on Harm Reduction Strategies. The report is now available to policymakers, regulators in member states and FCTC officials. 

    The Shadow Report emphasizes the importance of consumer participation in policy making and highlights the benefits of tobacco harm reduction alternatives, including vaping.  

    “Tobacco harm reduction products have been shown to serve as a method of smoking cessation and as an alternative for smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit smoking altogether,” said CAPHRA Executive Coordinator Nancy Loucas.

    “The WHO [World Health Organization] FCTC is meant to be an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health. However, the current tobacco control measures have extensively promoted the abstinence-only approach, which has contributed to smokers’ inability to make informed choices about safer nicotine products,” said Loucas. 

    The CAPHRA’s Shadow Report calls for a more compassionate, people-centered, choice-focused and rights-based approach to tobacco control. By involving consumers in the development of healthcare policy and research, clinical practice guidelines and patient information material, the quality of health information and health outcomes for those using tobacco harm reduction alternatives can be improved, according to the organization.

  • Activists Dispute Gateway Findings

    Activists Dispute Gateway Findings

    Photo: Wlodzimierz

    Recent claims by Otago University in New Zealand that vaping is a gateway to smoking have been disputed by leading global harm reduction experts Roberto Sussman, Konstantinos Farsalinos and Gerry Stimson. These experts have highlighted the importance of harm reduction strategies in reducing the negative health impacts of smoking.

    Published on June 28 in Drug and Alcohol Review, the Otago University study analyzed data related to New Zealanders’ smoking and vaping status from the 2018-2020 New Zealand Attitudes and Values survey.

    Unlike other studies, Post-graduate student Andre Mason and associate professor Damian Scarf found no consistent evidence that vaping acted as a cessation pathway from smoking. Mason said vaping appeared to be another smoking-related behavior, rather than a substitute for smoking that primarily helped people quit.

    “We found that there was an equal likelihood of vapers transitioning to smoking as smokers were to vapers,” Mason told Radio New Zealand.  

    Tobacco harm reduction advocates questioned the findings. According to Sussman, there is no evidence that vaping is a gateway to smoking. “In fact, studies have shown that vaping can be an effective tool for smoking cessation,” he said. “The vast majority of vapers are former smokers who have successfully quit smoking thanks to vaping,” added Farsalinos

    Gerry Stimson, a public health expert and advocate for harm reduction, emphasizes that harm reduction strategies like vaping are essential in reducing the negative health impacts of smoking. “We need to focus on providing smokers with safer alternatives to cigarettes, rather than demonizing harm reduction strategies like vaping,” he noted.

    Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates, who compiled these comments, also disputed the gateway claim by Otago University.

    Lous cited recent data, which suggest the smoking incidence rates in New Zealand have fallen significantly over the past five to 10 years. The current smoking rate of New Zealand adults is 8 percent in 2021/2022, which has decreased from 16.5 percent in 2015 and from 27 percent in both men and women in 1993. Loucas insists that vaping has played a significant role in the reduction of smoking rates in New Zealand over the past five to 10 years. According to research published in the NZ Medical Journal, the current vaping rate in New Zealand is 8.3 percent of adults being categorized as daily e-cigarette users, up from 6.2 percent in the previous year.

    “We need to focus on harm reduction strategies that work, rather than relying on outdated and inaccurate claims about vaping being a gateway to smoking,” said Loucas. “The evidence is clear: vaping can be an effective tool for smoking cessation and harm reduction.

    The government of New Zealand has given NZD1.4 million ($860,411) to a large trial to help New Zealanders quit vaping. Over six months, more than 1,000 participants will test whether cytisine—a medicine that partially blocks the effects of nicotine on the brain—is more effective than a tapered reduction in nicotine, when accompanied with behavioral support.

  • CAPHRA Comments on Proposal to Tighten Vaping Restrictions

    CAPHRA Comments on Proposal to Tighten Vaping Restrictions

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has submitted comments on New Zealand’s Proposals for the Smoked Tobacco Regulatory Regime. The proposals include tightening current restrictions on vaping product safety requirements and packaging and reducing nicotine levels in disposable vapes as well as restricting the location of specialist vape retailers.

    “Whilst we have absolutely no issues with restrictions around primary and secondary schools and Kura, we do have issue with adult community locations, such as universities, and other tertiary facilities,” said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of the CAPHRA.

    “Specialist vape retailers provide a service that is not available in general retailers. It is a disservice to adults who smoke in Aotearoa, New Zealand, to restrict their access to specialist shops and guidance.”

    “The main issue, however, is that the regulations, as they are, work perfectly well,” said the CAPHRA in reference to the other proposed restrictions. “The issues are public education and enforcement. The regulations, as they are written, are working at getting citizens to make the switch from combustible tobacco to less harmful vaping.”

    The comment period closes on March 15.