01-07-2025
‘Vapes are safe alternatives to smoking' — and other lies they tell us
We talked to Lekan Ayo-Yusuf, a member of the WHO's study group on tobacco product regulation, about the 2025 WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, and the Tobacco Bill. (Vaping360/Flickr)
Smoking cigarettes on a plane was normal until tobacco control laws put a stop to it.
The new normal — taking a puff on any of the latest electronic devices in a shopping centre where smoking isn't allowed.
Big Tobacco is good at adapting. With
The
It is a timely release for South Africa. Our own Bill, meant to better
Pages from the playbook
The report lays out how Big Tobacco's well-honed tactics — and some new ones — are being used to sell new products and keep legislation to slow sales down at bay.
Among these are co-opting the term
From WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic report (2025)
The industry has also
The industry also
In many countries, illicit trade can refer to counterfeit products or smuggled foreign cigarettes. But a
Ayo-Yusuf agrees: 'It's got nothing to do with tobacco legislation and everything to do with the criminal element in the industry.'
Where there's smoke
E-cigarettes and vapes — electronic devices that heat a liquid containing additives and chemicals, which are often
In fact, inhaling the aerosol from vapes
Yet HTPs dodge
'They're violating the current tobacco laws in broad daylight,' says Ayo-Yusuf. 'You cannot market or promote tobacco products. But you see people smoking in public places and you have whole HTP stores and stands in shopping malls.'
That's what the Bill is trying to put an end to. It will apply strict laws to newer devices: no use in public spaces; no advertising, online sales or claims that they're less harmful than cigarettes and regulations will require graphic health warnings as well as plain packaging to deter people from using them. If it gets passed in its current form, it will also be the end of fruit-flavoured vapes — which have been
We spoke to Ayo-Yusuf about the growing market for heated tobacco, harm reduction and how regulation can keep pace. This is an edited version of our conversation.
Zano Kunene (ZK):
How well does SA do in tobacco control?
Lekan Ayo-Yusuf (LAY):
Not well,
ZK:
Which smoking products are tobacco companies pushing in SA?
LAY:
Vapes are a big one as we had
ZK:
What are HTPs and how do they differ from conventional cigarettes?
LAY:
ZK:
Why does the industry call them
LAY:
The industry has jumped ahead to say they reduce harm, but what we actually know is it
The industry says they are targeting smokers trying to quit. The easiest evidence for this would be a drop in cigarette smoking. But since e-cigarettes entered the market in 2010, there is no evidence
ZK:
Are people swopping cigarettes for these products?
LAY:
We are not seeing an exchange. Some people are actually smoking heated tobacco or vapes plus their cigarettes. There are also
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