Highlighting The Need For Consumer Participation In Tobacco Harm Reduction Policy Making

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) announces the release of its Shadow Report on the (NON)-Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 1 (d) on Harm Reduction Strategies. The report is now available to policy makers, regulators in member states, and World Health Organization (WHO) FCTC officials.[1]

The Shadow Report emphasises the importance of consumer participation in policy making and highlights the benefits of tobacco harm reduction alternatives, including vaping.

“Tobacco Harm Reduction products have been shown to serve as a method of smoking cessation and as an alternative for smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit smoking altogether,” said Nancy Loucas, a prominent New Zealand public health consumer advocate and executive coordinator of CAPHRA.

“The WHO FCTC is meant to be an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health. However, the current tobacco control measures have extensively promoted the abstinence-only approach, which has contributed to smokers' inability to make informed choices about safer nicotine products,” said Ms Loucas.

CAPHRA's Shadow Report calls for a more compassionate, people-centred, choice-focused, and rights-based approach to tobacco control. By involving consumers in the development of healthcare policy and research, clinical practice guidelines, and patient information material, the quality of health information and health outcomes for those using tobacco harm reduction alternatives can be improved.

To access the full CAPHRA Shadow Report on the (NON)-Implementation of the FCTC Article 1 (d) on Harm Reduction Strategies, please visit: https://caphraorg.net/wp-content/pdf/FCTC_Shadow_Report.pdf

For more information about CAPHRA and its advocacy for tobacco harm reduction, please visit: [CAPHRA website]

Shadow Report on the (NON)-Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 1 (d) on Harm Reduction Strategies - Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates, August 2023 - https://caphraorg.net/wp-content/pdf/FCTC_Shadow_Report.pdf

For more information on vaping and its potential to help smokers quit, visit vapingfacts.health.nz and https://caphraorg.net/

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