COP10: Promote Tobacco Harm Reduction
Experts with Smoke Free Sweden are emphasising the urgent need for a Tobacco Harm Reduction approach at COP10
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by Dave Cross
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The Swedish success story, which has seen the Nordic country reduce smoking to the point of almost becoming smoke free, with smoking rates of just 5.6 per cent, is the clearest example yet of tobacco harm reduction in practice and should serve as a blueprint for the rest of Europe and beyond.
Smoke Free Sweden is advocating for the integration of tobacco harm reduction into the fabric of the decision-making process of COP10 and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, highlighting the Swedish model’s success in significantly lowering smoking rates and, consequently, tobacco-related deaths, which are 44% lower than the EU average.
For the EU’s ambitious Beating Cancer Plan to be successful, policymakers must adopt a Swedish approach, including the endorsement of safer nicotine alternatives, to enhance the efficacy of its cancer prevention efforts.
Meanwhile the WHO reported last month that there are 1.25 billion smokers worldwide, the majority of whom live in low and middle income countries. These countries in particular could benefit from the lessons of Sweden’s experience.
Commenting at the start of COP10 proceedings and calling for a strategic shift, Dr. Delon Human, leader of the Smoke Free Sweden initiative and former Health Advisor to three WHO Directors-General said: “With the world watching both Europe and the WHO right now, we face a stark choice: continue down the traditional path with limited success or embrace the full spectrum of public health strategies, including tobacco harm reduction, which has been markedly absent from COP discussions.
“Sweden's trailblazing journey to the lowest rates of tobacco-related cancers across the European Union is a testament to what's possible when harm reduction is placed at the forefront of public health initiatives. The Swedish experience is the gold standard and policymakers have a responsibility to learn its lessons to save lives."
Smoke Free Sweden is a campaign which encourages other countries to follow the Swedish model when it comes to Tobacco Harm Reduction. Sweden is about to become the first ‘smoke-free’ European country, with a smoking rate of below 5 percent. This remarkable achievement can be attributed to Sweden’s open attitude towards alternative products.
References:
- Smoke Free Sweden - www.smokefreesweden.org
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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