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Tag: WHO

  • Three Former WHO Directors Push for Harm Reduction

    Three Former WHO Directors Push for Harm Reduction

    Three former directors at the World Health Organization say a global smoking rate below 5% by 2040 is achievable if tobacco harm reduction is formally integrated into the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Writing in Nature Health recently, Robert Beaglehole, Ruth Bonita, and Tikki Pang argued that progress in reducing smoking has slowed in many high-burden countries and that current policy debates increasingly conflate nicotine use with the harms of smoking. They called for a “risk-proportionate regulatory framework” that maintains strict controls on combustible tobacco while allowing regulated access to smoke-free alternatives that can displace cigarettes without encouraging youth uptake.

    The authors pointed to examples including Japan, Sweden, and New Zealand, where wider adoption of heated tobacco, snus, nicotine pouches, and vaping coincided with sharp declines in smoking rates. Former WHO director Derek Yach described the commentary as significant but questioned whether large, high-smoking countries would follow those models. The paper maintains that combining established FCTC measures with broader access to regulated smoke-free products offers the most realistic path toward the 2040 goal, even as current FCTC leadership has shown little openness to revisiting its stance on harm reduction.

  • WHO’s Report on Nicotine Pouches Draws Industry Response

    WHO’s Report on Nicotine Pouches Draws Industry Response

    Today (May 15), the World Health Organization released its first global report on nicotine pouches, warning that rapid market growth and uneven regulation could increase youth exposure to nicotine. The report, issued ahead of World No Tobacco Day, says sales exceeded 23 billion units in 2024 and values the category at nearly $7 billion in 2025. WHO said, “nicotine itself is highly addictive and harmful,” and accused companies of using “widespread industry tactics” to appeal to younger audiences, and outlined policy options for governments, including limits on flavors and nicotine strength, age-verification requirements, advertising restrictions, and clearer labeling for the oral nicotine products.

    In response, Dr. Marina Murphy, senior director of scientific affairs at Haypp, said the report does not sufficiently distinguish between combustible tobacco and lower-risk nicotine formats. She pointed to regulatory approaches in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Sweden as examples in which authorities have set product standards, age controls, and manufacturing requirements while allowing adult access. Murphy cited toxicological comparisons to nicotine replacement therapies and population data suggesting most pouch users are current or former smokers, arguing that regulatory frameworks can address youth concerns while preserving alternatives for adults.

    “The WHO should be leading a science-based strategy to end smoking. Instead, it remains ideologically opposed to the very products helping make that goal achievable,” Murphy said. “The lesson is straightforward. Countries that follow the evidence are accelerating the decline of smoking and reducing disease.

    “Those who treat all nicotine products as equally problematic risk protecting cigarettes from competition. The WHO should be helping governments distinguish between products that kill and products that can help people move away from smoking. Until the WHO embraces this reality, its reports will look increasingly detached from both the science and the real-world policy successes unfolding around it.”

  • Mozambique Advances Comprehensive Tobacco Control Law 

    Mozambique Advances Comprehensive Tobacco Control Law 

    Mozambique’s Assembly of the Republic approved in general terms a new Tobacco Law aligned with the World Health Organization’s WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, aiming to curb consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. Presenting the bill, Justice Minister Mateus Saíze outlined health harms linked to tobacco use and said the country faces an estimated 11.7 billion meticais ($187 million) in annual direct and indirect losses — about 1.3% of GDP — including 900 million meticais ($14.4 million) in healthcare costs.

  • Philippine Health Groups Want Full Tobacco, Vape Ban

    Philippine Health Groups Want Full Tobacco, Vape Ban

    Public health groups in the Philippines are urging the government to impose a total ban on e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs), and other nicotine delivery systems, citing their health risks and rising youth uptake. The renewed push follows Myanmar becoming the eighth ASEAN country to enforce a vape ban, while Philippine lawmakers continue to debate tax rates for tobacco and vape products. Data show that around 14% of Filipino youth and 2% of adults use e-cigarettes.

    HealthJustice board member Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan said a comprehensive ban would offer the strongest public health protection, ensure regulatory clarity, and complement calls for higher, uniform tobacco taxes. Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo of SEATCA noted that a total ban would also help address tax administration challenges, curb illicit trade, and align with the Philippines’ obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

  • Vietnam Proposes Banning Tobacco Displays and Alternative Products

    Vietnam Proposes Banning Tobacco Displays and Alternative Products

    The Ministry of Health of Vietnam has proposed banning the display of tobacco products at wholesale and retail outlets and requiring cigarettes to be kept in closed cabinets, under draft amendments to the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms. The proposal was presented at a policy workshop in Hanoi, where Deputy Health Minister Tran Van Thuan said that despite progress over 13 years, Vietnam still has about 15.8 million smokers.

    The draft amendments also call for a comprehensive ban on the production, trade, advertising, and use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and other new tobacco products. Officials said allowing cigarette displays effectively permits point-of-sale advertising and increases access for children, noting that major cities average 13 tobacco outlets near each school. The ministry said the reforms align with the World Health Organization’s WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

  • 22nd Century Reports Momentum for VLN Products

    22nd Century Reports Momentum for VLN Products

    22nd Century Group touted early sales momentum for its VLN low-nicotine cigarettes, distributing approximately 8,800 cartons to about 1,700 new retail outlets nationwide in the fourth quarter of 2025, with initial sell-through data indicating growing adoption across its 22nd Century VLN, Pinnacle VLN, and Smoker Friendly VLN brands. The company said expanding retail placement across convenience stores, wholesalers, and independent chains supports its plan to exceed 5,000 points of distribution in 2026.

    22nd Century positioned its progress alongside regulatory developments, including a January 2025 proposed rule by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to cap nicotine levels in cigarettes at 0.7 mg per gram of tobacco, and broader global support for nicotine reduction under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

  • CAPHRA Says FCTC’s Campaign Ignores THR Facts

    CAPHRA Says FCTC’s Campaign Ignores THR Facts

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates criticized the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control for what it calls an uncompromising stance on tobacco harm reduction, noting the treaty has fallen short of its 30% global tobacco use reduction target by 2025, with adult smoking prevalence still around 20% two decades after adoption.

    “By automatically dismissing every piece of evidence as ‘tobacco industry interference,’ the FCTC isolates itself from science,” CAPHRA said. “This political reflex perpetuates smoking-related harm, favoring illicit markets rather than public health.”

    Citing international examples, the group points to Japan’s uptake of heated tobacco products, New Zealand’s vaping-led smokefree strategy, Sweden’s oral nicotine model, and high rates of former smokers among UK vapers as evidence that regulated alternatives can accelerate smoking declines. The organization is urging FCTC parties to engage more openly with emerging THR data ahead of upcoming Conferences of the Parties, warning that prohibitionist approaches risk blocking potential health gains.

  • Jamaica Ups Cigarette Tax 2 Cents per Stick

    Jamaica Ups Cigarette Tax 2 Cents per Stick

    Jamaica will increase the Special Consumption Tax (SCT) on cigarettes from J$17 to J$20 ($0.11 to $0.13) per stick effective May 1, a move expected to generate approximately $1.1 billion ($7 million) in additional revenue. The measure aligns with Jamaica’s commitments under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and comes as lawmakers continue deliberations on broader tobacco control legislation, including regulations on advertising and electronic nicotine delivery systems.

  • CAPHRA Urges Review of FCTC Following U.S. WHO Exit

    CAPHRA Urges Review of FCTC Following U.S. WHO Exit

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) is calling on governments across the region to reassess the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) following the United States’ withdrawal from the WHO and criticism of the agency from New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters. CAPHRA argues that while the FCTC formally recognizes harm reduction under Article 1(d), current policy implementation has not consistently supported reduced-risk alternatives such as vaping and nicotine pouches.

    CAPHRA representatives say restrictions on safer nicotine products risk slowing smoking decline and expanding illicit markets. The group pointed to New Zealand’s smoking rate, which has fallen to 6.8%, as evidence that regulated harm reduction strategies can accelerate public health gains. CAPHRA is also urging greater transparency in FCTC Conference of the Parties proceedings and broader engagement with independent scientists and consumer groups, arguing that future tobacco control policy should be measured by reductions in smoking prevalence and disease outcomes rather than product bans.

  • Vietnam Looking to Tighten Tobacco Regs

    Vietnam Looking to Tighten Tobacco Regs

    Vietnam’s Ministry of Health is seeking public feedback on a draft amendment to the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention that would significantly tighten regulations and close gaps in the current legal framework, according to Vietnam News. The proposed amendments prioritize public health over economic interests, align with Party and Politburo resolutions on health protection, and aim to fully meet Vietnam’s obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Key measures include banning the holding, transport, storage, advertising, promotion and use of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products; prohibiting the display of tobacco products at retail outlets; expanding smoke-free venues; and increasing health warning requirements on packaging. The draft also introduces clear legal definitions for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, strengthens responsibilities of government agencies and local authorities, and adds new prohibitions on producing or trading components used to assemble such products, with a focus on protecting women, children and public health overall.