UN Report Slammed

CAPHRA, an alliance of tobacco harm reduction advocates across the Asia Pacific region, argues that the report's stance on vaping and other reduced-risk nicotine products is not only misguided but potentially lethal for millions of people who smoke seeking safer alternatives. 

Nancy Loucas, the Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA, commented upon the report’s release: “This report blatantly ignores the mounting scientific evidence supporting vaping as a less harmful alternative to smoking, as well as addressing the demonisation of people who use these products by tobacco control groups, up to and including the WHO FCTC.

“By demonizing these products, and not addressing and supporting the right to health of the end users of these products, the UN is effectively condemning countless smokers to continued exposure to the deadly toxins in cigarette smoke.”

The organisation points out several key issues with the report: 

• Disregard for Harm Reduction: The report fails to acknowledge the significant role of tobacco harm reduction strategies in public health. 
• Disregard for the end users of Safer Nicotine Products; instead, choosing not to address replicable science and evidence, nor the right to health for billions of people who smoke in low- and middle-income countries. 
• Misrepresentation of Evidence: It cherry-picks data while ignoring comprehensive studies supporting the efficacy of vaping in smoking cessation. 
• Violation of Human Rights: By advocating for restrictions on safer nicotine products, the report infringes on the right to choose less harmful alternatives for adults who smoke. 

CAPHRA emphasised that its position is based on pragmatic, risk-proportionate regulations based on replicable science and evidence that protects public health while ensuring the availability of reduced-harm products for adult smokers. 

“We call on the UN and WHO to engage in meaningful dialogue with consumer groups and harm reduction advocates. Excluding our voices from critical discussions like FCTC CoP10 is not only undemocratic but also detrimental to global health objectives,” Loucas continued.

CAPHRA urges policymakers and health organisations to critically examine the report's recommendations and consider the real-world impact of restricting access to vaping products. The organisation stays committed to educating the public and advocating for the rights of adults who smoke to access harm reduction alternatives. 

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates is a regional alliance of consumer tobacco harm reduction advocacy organisations. Its mission is to educate, advocate and represent the right of adult alternative nicotine consumers to access and use of products that reduce harm from tobacco use. 

CAPHRA says it stays committed to advocating for the rights of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region to access and use evidence-based, regulated, and properly marketed harm reduction products as a means of reducing the devastating impact of smoking-related diseases. It says it encourages further research, open dialogue, and collaboration with governments, health organisations, and stakeholders to ensure the best possible outcomes for public health. 

Photo Credit:

• Photo by Saymom Leão on Unsplash, cropped, resized, and rotated

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV

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Dave 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.