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Tag: WHO

  • Kyrgyz Health Minister Proposes Raising Tobacco Taxes

    Kyrgyz Health Minister Proposes Raising Tobacco Taxes

    Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Health, Erkin Checheybayev, proposed raising excise taxes on tobacco products as part of a broader effort to improve public health, particularly among the country’s youth. Roughly 22% of adults in Kyrgyzstan smoke.

    Earlier this week, a delegation from the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub met with Checheybayev to present the TETSiM simulation model, an analytical tool demonstrating how raising excise taxes can both reduce tobacco consumption and increase government revenue. The discussion focused on strategies to reduce tobacco affordability and consumption through effective taxation measures. “Despite the public health burden, Kyrgyzstan’s current tobacco excise tax remains below 50% of the retail price of cigarettes, significantly lower than the WHO-recommended threshold of 75% or more,” The Times of Central Asia said. 

  • Pakistan Increases Tobacco Tax 240%

    Pakistan Increases Tobacco Tax 240%

    With cigarette manufacturers in Pakistan already pointing to an excessive Federal Excise Duty (FED) as a reason for a significant decrease in sales and a rising black market, the federal government announced it is imposing a 6% withholding tax on cigarette distributors in the 2025-26 budget, senior sources told ProPakistani. This will be an increase from the previous 2.5% rate.

    The provision for withholding tax rates under Section 153 of the Income Tax Ordinance will be changed to charge the new tax on the gross amount of payment received by distributors when they hand over cigarette sticks to retailers.

    It was previously reported that Pakistan’s government was facing pressure from the World Health Organization to increase its FED further.

  • Vietnam Considering Large Tobacco Tax Hikes

    Vietnam Considering Large Tobacco Tax Hikes

    Vietnam’s National Assembly is considering amending the Law on Special Consumption Tax this year to create a robust increase in tobacco taxes, pointing to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s recommendation that the tax be 75% of the retail price. Currently, tobacco taxes in the country are 36% to 38.8% of the price.

    A 2023 report by the Vietnam Health Economics Association estimated that the total cost of tobacco-related healthcare and economic losses reached 108 trillion VND ($4.14 billion) annually, equivalent to 1.14% of GDP and five times higher than the budget revenue generated by the tobacco industry. The report also said cigarettes are too accessible, with 40 domestic tobacco brands selling for less than 10,000 VND (38 cents) per pack.

    The draft amendment being considered in the June session proposes two options: Introducing a fixed tax of 2,000 VND (8 cents) per pack in 2027 or introducing a fixed tax of 5,000 VND (19 cents) per pack in 2026. Both would increase annually until reaching 10,000 VND and 15,000 VND (57 cents) per pack, respectively, by 2031. According to officials, the second, higher-taxed option would generate an annual additional 29 trillion VND ($1.1 billion) in 2030, an increase of 169% compared to scenarios without tax increases, and make the tax rate 59.4% of the retail price.

  • Global Experts Warn WHO’s Anti-Harm Reduction Stance Undermines Goals

    Global Experts Warn WHO’s Anti-Harm Reduction Stance Undermines Goals

    A panel of global tobacco harm reduction experts convened this week to criticize the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Secretariat for undermining the goals of World No Tobacco Day. The group expressed frustration over the WHO’s refusal to support harm-reduction tools, such as vaping and nicotine pouches, despite growing evidence of their effectiveness in helping smokers quit.

    “The WHO dismisses adult smokers and vapers, even though adults bear the vast majority of tobacco-related harm,” said Martin Cullip, International Fellow at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. “It’s odd to see the organization celebrate bans on products that aren’t even made from tobacco.”

    Participants from Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom argued that the WHO’s prohibitionist approach is counterproductive, exacerbating smoking-related deaths and fueling black markets.

    “Australia has a massive black market and 66 people die daily from smoking-related disease,” said Pippa Starr, founder of A.L.I.V.E. (Australia, Let’s Improve Vaping Education). “These outcomes are tied to WHO-endorsed policies. Rather than reward failed approaches, the WHO should be focused on saving lives.”

    Panelists emphasized the contradiction in the WHO’s mission: while claiming to reduce tobacco deaths, it continues to oppose safer alternatives proven to help smokers quit.

    “WHO policies are scripted and disconnected,” said Kurt Yeo, co-founder of South Africa’s Vaping Saved My Life (VSML). “We need a full range of tools to achieve a smoke-free future. Prohibition has failed in countries like Mexico, India, and Singapore. The WHO isn’t facing the real issues.”

    The group urged the WHO and FCTC to embrace innovation, listen to consumers, and support harm reduction as a legitimate path to ending the global smoking epidemic.

    “Harm reduction works,” Reem Ibrahim, communications manager at the UK’s Institute of Economic Affairs, said. “These products help people quit. But the WHO’s strategy blocks access and ultimately harms public health.”

  • 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.” 

  • Opinion: WHO Is Wrong on Flavors — It’s Time to Stand Up for Harm Reduction and Common Sense

    Opinion: WHO Is Wrong on Flavors — It’s Time to Stand Up for Harm Reduction and Common Sense

    By Markus Lindblad, Head of External Affairs at Haypp Group, parent company of Nicokick.com and Northerner.com

    At every turn, a new opinion emerges, demonizing brands for developing flavored products, to, as they say: market to those underage—often based on the notion of a “hidden agenda.” Let’s be clear: these products are created exclusively for adult consumers.

    This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) is using World No Tobacco Day 2025 to push the go-to ‘anti flavor’ agenda on nicotine products. Huge surprise to no one. The claim is that they’re part of an industry ploy to attract children. The slogan—Bright Product. Dark Intentions. Unmasking the Appeal—is both misleading and dangerous. And the question we ask ourselves: to what end?

    What those who are committed to this rhetoric seem to forget is that regulatory bodies have implemented strict guidelines to ensure the opposite of this mythical ‘hidden agenda’. As compliant and responsible brands, we walk a tight rope every day. Transparency is built into every layer of the industry—from marketing communications in earned, paid, and owned channels to prominent warning labels and full ingredient disclosure. The real unknown is the unchecked rise of illicit products flooding the market. Much like alcohol, flavors are not a tool for targeting youth. The logical step forward is to adopt consistent age verification measures—at both the federal and state levels—to prevent underage access.

    WHO’s Campaign Ignores Science and Reality

    WHO, like many other one-sided anti-tobacco organizations, paints all flavored nicotine products with the same broad brush, ignoring clear distinctions with those developed as alternatives to help adults move away from smoking. The truth is, flavored alternatives have proven to be a strong contributor to the harm reduction movement, helping millions of smokers transition away from deadly combustible tobacco.

    Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized certain nicotine products to be marketable as a risk-reduced alternative, as part of its harm-reduction strategy, finally listening to and acknowledging the science we’ve known for years. Yet the flavor-ban fight continues, contradicting this approach.

    The Real Problem: Access, Not Flavors

    It begs repeating: Flavors weren’t made for kids—they were made for adults seeking an alternative to smoking. We have seen the news cycle recently, offering reports on the marginal increase in underage usage, a problem we can all agree on. But to be clear, kids don’t get access because of peach or watermelon flavor names—they get access because standardized age-verification policies present with other categories and industries are absent, so the next best thing is to ban.

    How it should be:

    • Stronger and standardized age verification measures for all nicotine sales.
    • Ban proxy sales to minors.
    • Strict penalties for non-compliant retailers.

    Bans Hurt Public Health—and Help Illicit Markets

    Flavor bans don’t stop youth—they just drive demand underground. Meanwhile, they strip adults of their right to choose alternatives and damage legitimate businesses.

    Restricting the appeal of reduced-risk products won’t stop young people from experimenting—it will just make quitting harder for adults and push both into more dangerous behaviors.

    WHO Has It Wrong. States Must Lead.

    WHO’s 2025 campaign is focused on the wrong enemy and the rhetoric continues to erode years of research and drive fear. Instead of condemning flavors, they should be calling for smarter and tighter regulations that keep products out of underage hands—not banning tools that help adults quit smoking.

    Public health isn’t advanced by moral panic. It’s advanced by policy that works.

  • FCTC Deserves Criticism, Not Celebration, Says TPA

    FCTC Deserves Criticism, Not Celebration, Says TPA

    As the World Health Organization (WHO) marks the 20th anniversary of its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a panel hosted by the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) used the occasion to reflect on what they called decades of stagnation, missed opportunities, and dangerous resistance to innovation in the field of tobacco harm reduction.

    “The FCTC should have marked a turning point in global tobacco control,” said Clive Bates, former director of Action on Smoking and Health (UK). “Instead, the WHO remains entrenched in outdated, prohibition-style thinking. They actively oppose safer alternatives like vaping, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches—tools that are demonstrably helping people quit smoking.”

    Panelists argued that the WHO’s refusal to embrace harm-reduction approaches is not just short-sighted but scientifically indefensible. Many urged countries participating in the treaty to reconsider their blind alignment with WHO policy and instead focus on pragmatic, evidence-based strategies that prioritize public health outcomes.

    “Whether it’s COVID-19 or tobacco policy, the WHO has failed repeatedly,” Roger Bate, a global health policy expert at the International Center for Law and Economics said. “We need fundamental reform. If the organization cannot evolve to incorporate modern science and real-world solutions, then it risks becoming obsolete.”

    David Williams, president of TPA, echoed this sentiment, calling the WHO’s current approach “dangerous and irresponsible.” He cited the organization’s refusal to recognize smoke-free alternatives, even as mounting research shows their effectiveness in reducing harm. “E-cigarettes and nicotine pouches are saving lives,” Williams said. “These are tools funded by taxpayers, yet the WHO continues to reject them without sound justification. That’s not just bad policy—it’s negligence.”

    Williams also promoted TPA’s global campaign, Good COP/Bad COP, which launched during the 2024 FCTC COP10 meeting in Panama. A follow-up event is planned for 2025 in Geneva, aimed at holding the WHO accountable. “We’re building a coalition of doctors, consumers, and advocates who want the WHO to work for the people, not against them,” he said.

    Martin Cullip, international fellow at TPA’s Consumer Center, summed up the panel’s frustration. “The FCTC was a good idea that has gone terribly wrong. We’ve lost 20 years of potential progress because of rigid ideology.”

    The panel urged WHO leaders to abandon a dogmatic stance and embrace harm reduction as a key component of tobacco control moving forward. As Clive Bates concluded, “The WHO has become unethical, unaccountable, and ineffective. If they truly care about saving lives, they must stop ignoring the science. Harm reduction has to be part of the solution.”

  • CAPHRA Urges Malaysia to Reject Vape Bans 

    CAPHRA Urges Malaysia to Reject Vape Bans 

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today (April 28) urged Malaysian authorities to reject “counterproductive bans” on vaping and adopt risk-proportionate regulations, citing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) persistent neglect of harm reduction strategies as a key driver of preventable smoking-related deaths. 

    The call comes as Malaysia faces pressure to tighten vaping controls under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852), with state-level bans and stricter nicotine limits threatening progress. CAPHRA warns that such measures risk replicating failed prohibitions in Bhutan and South Africa, where bans fuel illicit markets and health risks. 

    “Enforcing stricter controls on high-risk products over safer alternatives is better than outright bans,” Universiti Kebangsaan Malasia professor Dr. Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said. “Malaysia must differentiate between combustible cigarettes and harm reduction tools.” 

    CAPHRA criticized the WHO, saying it ignores vaping’s role in smoking cessation. Despite Malaysia’s illicit tobacco trade dominating 55.3% of the market in 2023, WHO projects smoking rates will rise to 30% by 2025, contrasting sharply with Sweden’s 5% rate achieved through harm reduction. 

    “We firmly believe that an outright ban on vape products is counterproductive and could lead to unintended consequences, including the proliferation of black market activities,” Samsul Arrifin Kamal of MOVE Malaysia said. “The solution lies in implementing stricter controls, risk-proportionate regulations, and robust enforcement mechanisms. By establishing clear guidelines for the production, sale, and use of vape products, we can ensure consumer safety.” 

  • Lebanon to Adopt WHO FCTC Policies 

    Lebanon to Adopt WHO FCTC Policies 

    Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health joined with leaders from the World Health Organization to announce the “Tobacco Control Investment Case Study in Lebanon,” which says the country could avert more than $400 million in economic losses and save up to 40,000 lives over the next 15 years by implementing several key tobacco control policies recommended by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

    “Today, we are presented with strong evidence showing that tobacco control is not only a health priority but also a sound economic investment,” Minister of Public Health of Lebanon, Dr. Rakan Nassereldine, said. “This study quantifies what we have long known: tobacco use is devastating to individual health, increasing the burden of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses. But beyond the human suffering, tobacco also imposes an enormous cost on our healthcare system, weakens productivity, and drains resources that Lebanon can no longer afford to lose.”

    Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, a WHO Representative in Lebanon, emphasized that the national tobacco control law targeting to implement the various aspects of the WHO FCTC is an important public health measure that aims at improving people’s health, preventing harm to non-smokers’ health, and reducing the economic burden of smoking at the national level. He indicated that Lebanon stands as one of the top countries in the region for high smoking prevalence, highlighting an urgent need for decisive action in tobacco control.  “Integrating tobacco control into national economic recovery and growth plans and policies, will be critical in helping Lebanon achieve its economic goal” he said.

    Among the policies being recommended are increasing tax rates on tobacco, creating smoke-free public places and workplaces, requiring graphic health warnings on tobacco product packaging, strengthening public awareness of tobacco control issues, and promoting the cessation of tobacco use.

  • 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.”