Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Health said it is laying the groundwork for a new approach to tobacco control, with officials confirming they are collecting data to regulate reduced-risk products such as vaping, nicotine pouches, and heat-not-burn devices. The move signals a shift away from policies focused solely on bans and restrictions, toward strategies that emphasize harm reduction.
Despite years of regulation, smoking rates remain high in the country, with nearly one in five adults still smoking. The absence of laws specific to vaping has left products in a legal grey area, creating uncertainty for smokers looking to switch to less harmful alternatives. Advocates argue that clear regulation could help reduce smoking-related disease and deaths, pointing to examples from Sweden and the U.K.
Public health voices in Trinidad and Tobago say the country has an opportunity to chart its own course, using evidence-based regulation to give smokers safer choices. “Now is the moment to act,” one health advocate said, urging policymakers to put harm reduction at the center of the nation’s tobacco strategy.