New President of ARDT Iberoamérica Speaks
The New President of ARDT Iberoamérica, Jeffrey Zamora speaks about the keys to success in the fight against smoking
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by Dave Cross
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ARDT Iberoamérica, with affiliates from 12 countries, has been committed since 2020 to advocate and promote harm reduction. Its work is focused on the promotion of proportional and differentiated regulation for low-risk nicotine delivery products. Furthermore, it aims to encourage and support its members, the national civil society entities dedicated to these same causes.
The appointment of Zamora as the leader of this entity highlights his commitment and dedication in the fight against the harms of smoking, and his goal of generating a positive change in public health through effective and fair policies and regulations.
Jeffrey Zamora says: “Currently, among the member countries of ARDT Iberoamérica, regulation exists in Costa Rica (2012), Paraguay (2022), and Ecuador (2011); various bills that allow harm reduction products for people who smoke are currently being discussed in countries like Chile, Colombia, Argentina, and Peru.
“On the anti-harm reduction side, and ideologically opposed to vastly less harmful alternatives to traditional combustible cigarettes, we have Panama, Mexico, and Brazil. Outside of these, Uruguay prohibits nicotine vaporisers but allows heated tobacco products.
“Similarly, in all countries, consumer organisations and advocates constantly deal with direct attacks from entities and groups that seek to cancel their arguments through misinformation and alarmism, while these entities push for prohibitions or over-regulations without scientific basis.
“Among some of the challenges that we face in harm reduction advocacy organisations at the Latin American and indeed global level, is the lack of resources. As evidenced in the Jerzynski et al study, these organisations operate solely due to the enthusiasm of people who have benefitted from harm reduction but receive practically no funding. Despite this, great progress is reported in the fight, due to their hard work and dedication.”
Jeffrey Zamora believes that it is vital to promote awareness of the evidence generated in countries where Harm Reduction products are seen as a viable alternative and have shown positive impact on public health.
“This applies to individuals who have successfully quit smoking by using nicotine vaping devices, snus, nicotine pouches, or heated tobacco products,” he continues.
Zamora references the United Kingdom and select other nations which have adopted pro-vaping policies resulting in a two to three times faster decline in smoking prevalence compared to countries like Australia that remain opposed to vaping and tobacco harm reduction.
He feels that it is vital vapers act to reverse the opinions held by the World Health Organization and anti-vape countries: “I strongly believe that people cannot develop sympathy or empathy for something they don't understand. That's why it's crucial for our community to explain what these products are, how they work, who typically uses them, and why they bring benefits to public health. Given the constant campaigns of misinformation about Harm Reduction products, there are still people who mistakenly believe that these products are as harmful, or even more harmful, than traditional cigarettes.”
He sees this as a key role for ARDT Iberoamérica.
“As an organisation composed of consumer associations for Harm Reduction products, our objectives are always connected to informing and advocating for the rights of individuals who can benefit from transitioning to vastly less risky alternatives, as well as ensuring appropriate regulation of these products that are accepted in public health policies.”
Zamora explains: “The year 2023 is of utmost importance, not only for ARDT Iberoamérica, but also for all consumers of Harm Reduction products who aim to move away from the harmful combustion of traditional cigarettes. This is because the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will take place in Panama in November. During this Conference of the Parties, topics that have been postponed in the previous two editions will be discussed. Based on previous documents such as TobReg8, we are aware of an intention to ban flavours, limit nicotine levels, prohibit open systems, and ban products that allow users to adjust power or vapour output, among other measures.”
Jeffrey Zamora suggests that vapers take the initiative to counter the WHO’s efforts by joining in with the ongoing efforts of their local consumer groups – the New Nicotine Alliance being the UK’s independent consumer charity.
References:
- A WHO FCTC Explainer - https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/news/vaping-news/2023-05-16_a-who-fctc-explainer.html
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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