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Tag: CAPHRA

  • CAPHRA Releases White Paper on THR in Asia Pacific

    CAPHRA Releases White Paper on THR in Asia Pacific

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) unveiled a new white paper, Harm Reduction Denied in Asia Pacific, during the “Asia Day” event at Good Cop 2.0 in Geneva, coinciding with FCTC COP11. The paper examines inconsistencies in WHO’s tobacco control approach across the SEARO and WPRO regions, drawing on official WHO data such as the Global Report on Trends in Tobacco Use 2000–2030 and the Global Health Observatory. It calls for reform in the application of harm reduction under the FCTC, proposing evidence-based policy solutions that align with public health objectives while respecting human rights principles. Among its recommendations are regulation rather than prohibition of safer nicotine products, inclusion of consumers and independent scientists in policymaking, and greater transparency and accountability in FCTC processes.

    CAPHRA emphasizes that denying harm reduction perpetuates preventable disease, encourages illicit trade, and undermines trust in public health systems. The white paper urges WHO member states at COP11 to reaffirm Article 1(d) of the FCTC by recognizing harm reduction as a key pillar of tobacco control and to adopt pragmatic, science-driven policies that protect lives. The full report is available here.

  • CAPHRA Calls on Philippines to Champion Consumers at COP11 

    CAPHRA Calls on Philippines to Champion Consumers at COP11 

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) appealed to the Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) to represent Filipino consumers at the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), scheduled to begin November 17 in Geneva. In a letter to Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa, CAPHRA said consumers have been excluded from FCTC discussions for 20 years. Philippine representative Clarisse Virgino stressed that millions of Filipinos have shifted from smoking to regulated alternatives such as vapes and heated tobacco, demonstrating that harm reduction works.

    CAPHRA pointed to the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, enacted in 2022, as a model for risk-proportionate, science-based regulation. The group urged the DOH to recognize harm reduction as a public health pillar, share Filipino consumers’ success stories with COP11 delegates, and advocate for greater consumer and scientific participation in global tobacco policy.

    Virgino said the Philippines could show regional leadership by promoting inclusive, evidence-based policies as several Asia-Pacific nations, including Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, tighten vaping regulations.

  • “Good COP” to Parallel WHO’s COP11

    “Good COP” to Parallel WHO’s COP11

    The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) announced the launch of “Conference of the People (Good COP)” to be held November 19 in Geneva, parallel to the World Health Organization’s COP11. Good COP will be a “rapid-response and fact-checking forum” to counter discussions from the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

    The event aims to unite taxpayer-, free-market-, and harm-reduction organizations to challenge misinformation and present alternative, evidence-based perspectives. It is intended to be an open forum for consumers, independent scientists, and journalists who are often excluded from WHO’s closed-door sessions.

    “Currently, there is no cohesive, organized message to balance the misinformation stemming from the WHO and institutions under the auspices of the FCTC,” the TPA said in a press release. “Each day of the conference, experts and consumers will gather to respond in real-time to COP proceedings and hear from sponsoring organizations who will set the agenda for their respective day.”

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) also announced today (October 27) that it will hold “Asia Day – The Good Cop 2.0,” in conjunction with the TPA event. “Asia Pacific cannot afford another decade of ‘quit or die’ policies,” said Clarisse Virgino, CAPHRA’s Philippines representative. “We’ve seen harm reduction save lives in HIV, alcohol, and drug policy — denying it for tobacco is both unscientific and unethical.”

    “Asia Day will not be about slogans or ideology — it’s about dialogue, data, and human rights,” said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA’s Executive Coordinator.

  • 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.”