The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction
Advocates (CAPHRA) today 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policymakers to abandon outdated prohibitionist approaches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
emphasised 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 organisations in its decision-making
processes.
Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA Executive Coordinator,
stated:
“The FCTC’s ‘quit or die’ approach has
failed. It’s time for a mindset shift that prioritises
science over ideology and inclusion over exclusion. Consumer
organisations like CAPHRA represent millions who have
successfully transitioned to safer alternatives—our lived
experiences must inform policy.”
The exclusion of
consumer voices is systemic. No consumer group representing
smokers or ex-smokers has ever been granted observer status
at FCTC COP meetings, despite the WHO’s own guidelines
emphasising civil society
engagement.
“COP11 presents an opportunity
for the WHO FCTC to finally grant observer status to
consumer advocacy groups,” Loucas continued. “Without the
voices of those directly impacted by tobacco harm reduction
strategies, policymaking remains disconnected from
reality.”
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“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.”
Robust evidence
supports harm reduction as a viable strategy for reducing
smoking-related harm. PMI’s submission to the Royal
College of Physicians’ (RCP) 2024 report on e-cigarettes
and harm reduction highlighted that heated tobacco products,
emit significantly lower levels of harmful and potentially
harmful chemicals (HPHCs) compared to cigarettes, with
reductions approaching those observed in smoking cessation
studies. Similar findings from Public Health England
highlight vaping as approximately 95% safer than
smoking.
However, CAPHRA criticised the FCTC for
ignoring this evidence while allowing its policies to be
influenced by entities with vested interests, such as
Bloomberg Philanthropies, which funds anti-harm reduction
campaigns in Asia-Pacific nations including the Philippines
and India.
“Countries like New Zealand and the UK have
proven that risk-proportionate regulatory frameworks
work—these models should inspire reforms at COP11,” Loucas
said. “We call on member states attending COP11 to stand up
against foreign interference and reject campaigns that
prioritise prohibition over measurable public health
outcomes.”
“The stakes are too high to repeat past
mistakes. Nations must lead with courage, science, and
compassion—placing smokers’ lives before
politics.”
