Category: Tobacco Harm Reduction

Tobacco Harm Reduction explores safer alternatives to smoking, evidence-based policies, and innovations aimed at reducing the health risks associated with tobacco use. This category features expert insights, research updates, and stories shaping the future of smoke-free living.

Africa Cannot Afford Another Year of Delay: The Case for Embracing Safer Nicotine Alternatives

Healthtimes

By Joseph Magero, Campaign for Safer Alternatives (CASA) As another year ends, it’s important to reflect on Africa’s position in the global fight against smoking-related diseases. Unfortunately, the familiar pattern continues: while the rest of the world adopts modern harm reduction strategies, Africa remains significantly behind, stuck in outdated methods that don’t address current public health needs. Across Europe, North America, and parts of Asia, safer nicotine alternatives such as nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and snus have been widely available for years. Their effectiveness in helping smokers reduce…

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Policy Capture at COP11: What It Signals for Global Health Governance

Healthtimes

By Dr Vivian Manyeki, Public Health Specialist and Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocate In the busy corridors of the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Geneva, a heated exchange occurred. A young delegate, determined and armed with data, confronted a representative of a major global foundation. “We appreciate your contributions,” she said. “But Africa’s strategies must reflect our realities, not imposed templates.” This moment highlighted the tension between philanthropy and sovereignty. Wealthy philanthropists offer solutions for Africa, but governments must remain…

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Philip Morris International takes ZYN to Formula 1 in Ferrari partnership

Healthtimes

By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma Leading international consumer goods company, Philip Morris International (PMI), has announced that its leading nicotine pouch brand, ZYN, will feature on Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 car liveries at select races across upcoming seasons. This will be an expanded partnership between PMI and Scuderia Ferrari HP, as well as with Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, the single-marque motorsport championship created in 1993, starting in the 2026 season and beyond. The partnership has been described as a bold new chapter that reinforces a spirit of relentless innovation and…

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Do as I Say, Not What’s Best: The Perils of Philanthro-Colonialism at COP11

Michael Gwarisa

By Own Correspondent  As the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) concluded last week, experts on the sidelines raised concerns about the misuse of Article 5.3, which has increasingly hindered engagement with diverse stakeholders. The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) restrictive interpretation of this article has effectively limited meaningful dialogue between governments and non-state actors, including researchers, harm reduction advocates and industry representatives. Experts argue that this approach stifles evidence-based policymaking, prevents countries from exploring safer alternatives and reinforces a one-size-fits-all prohibitionist…

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Good COP 2.0 Pushes Back Against WHO’s Quiet War on Harm Reduction

Healthtimes

By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma The 11th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) recently took place in Geneva, Switzerland, and resembled the familiar closed-door meeting where science was neglected and the voices of consumers left out yet again. A lot of these experts, including some of those who helped set the stage for the FCTC in its early days, felt that the meeting had drifted very far from its original purpose. They characterised it as an event powered by predestined stories…

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Sweden Shows the World That Tobacco Harm Reduction Works

Michael Gwarisa

By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma Sweden has become a global reference point for effective tobacco harm reduction, achieving some of the lowest smoking rates while many countries continue to struggle. Their success is largely attributed to a pragmatic approach that encourages smokers to switch from combustible cigarettes to significantly lower-risk alternatives such as snus and regulated nicotine products. Data shows that daily smoking rates have dropped sharply, resulting in notable improvements in public health. This discussion took centre stage on Day 4 of the Good COP 2.0, held concurrently with the…

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Health Experts Warn WHO Against Full Tobacco Ban and Call for Balanced Regulation

Healthtimes

By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma For decades, global public health experts have agreed on one thing: banning a dangerous substance rarely eliminates its use. It often pushes the trade underground, where governments lose visibility and control. Regulation, however, gives policymakers room to monitor, manage and gradually reduce harm. This tension now sits at the center of a growing global debate. As the World Health Organization (WHO) considers tightening international controls on tobacco production under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), major tobacco-producing economies fear that sweeping restrictions could trigger economic…

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WHO FCTC Secretariat’s Assumptions on Nicotine Alternatives Are Misguided

Healthtimes

By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma While there is broad evidence that tobacco cessation is achievable through several approaches, including tobacco harm reduction, it remains unclear why the Secretariat of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) continues to insist that all nicotine products are the same or that they all pose equal harm. Despite evidence showing that non-tobacco nicotine products play a key role in smoking cessation, the WHO has spent decades attempting to establish tobacco control measures that have delivered limited impact. The tobacco epidemic remains…

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Experts Criticize WHO for Ignoring Evidence on Safer Smoking Alternatives

Healthtimes

By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma The Conference of the Parties (COP) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been ignoring emerging scientific evidence on tobacco harm reduction. Experts say the organisation continues to enforce restrictions that are not fit for purpose, while global smoking rates remain high. Tobacco harm reduction refers to the use of safer alternatives to cigarettes, including e-cigarettes, vapes, heat-not-burn products, pouches, and snus. These products are designed to provide nicotine with fewer health risks than traditional smoking. Critics argue that COP…

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The Right to Know: Why Access to Tobacco Harm Reduction Information Is a Matter of Human Rights

Healthtimes

By HealthTimes When forty-seven-year-old Idai Moyo from Harare finally managed to quit smoking after two decades, it wasn’t because she suddenly found the willpower that had eluded her for years. It was because she discovered something she hadn’t known existed — a smoke-free nicotine alternative that allowed her to move away from cigarettes gradually, without withdrawal or shame. No one told me,” she said. “If I’d known earlier, I would have stopped long ago.” Her words capture a moral dilemma at the heart of global tobacco control: why are millions…

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