Latest news with #tobaccoControl
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Silent No More: Protesters Demand Consumer Voice at Tobacco Control Summit
WVA's protest in Dublin DUBLIN, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On the opening day of the World Conference on Tobacco Control (WCTC) in Dublin, the World Vapers' Alliance staged a silent protest outside the venue, visually highlighting the exclusion of consumers from global tobacco and nicotine policy debates. Demonstrators with their mouths taped symbolised the ongoing marginalisation of those most affected by regulatory decisions. The protest is part of the 'Voices Unheard—Consumers Matter!' campaign, launched as delegates gathered inside to discuss the future of tobacco control without meaningful input from the consumers who are most impacted by these policies. This exclusion is especially concerning with COP11 in Geneva approaching and the World Health Organization pushing for bans on flavoured nicotine products—a move that would deny adults safer alternatives. Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers' Alliance, warned that outdated, ideologically driven policies, often influenced by powerful interests like Michael Bloomberg, threaten to reverse progress in reducing smoking rates. 'Safer nicotine alternatives have the potential to save millions of lives, but only if they are supported by sensible, evidence-based regulation. We cannot afford to let ideology stand in the way of real progress,' Landl said. The campaign comes at a time when the World Health Organization (WHO) is pushing for sweeping bans on flavoured nicotine products, including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. Such measures would remove vital tools from adults seeking to quit smoking and could drive many back to combustible tobacco. Alberto Gómez Hernández, Policy and Advocacy Manager for the WVA, stressed the importance of listening to consumers. 'Instead of banning flavours and safer alternatives, we need policies that protect both youth and adult smokers who want to quit smoking,' he explained. The protest underscores the urgent need for genuine consumer inclusion and evidence-based harm reduction as the world prepares for COP11. For media enquiries and high-resolution images, please contact: Michael Landl info@ VAPERS' ALLIANCE INC 18117 BISCAYNE BLVD PMB 60190 MIAMI, FL 33160 High-quality pictures of the protest can be found here. More information about flavour bans: More about the WVA's demands: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Vapes threaten to undo gains in tackling dangers of tobacco, health leaders warn
Aggressively marketed vapes threaten to undo progress made on smoking control, according to the World Health Organization. Officials, speaking at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, said efforts were stalling when it came to helping tobacco users to quit, campaigning in the media on the dangers, and imposing higher taxes on tobacco products. Young people were particularly vulnerable, it added. Countries should consider extending the graphic health warnings already required on cigarette packets to vapes or e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches, the WHO said. In many countries, tobacco products had become more affordable in the past decade, the report said, despite a WHO recommendation that cigarettes should be taxed at 75%. While cigarettes became less affordable in 46 countries, they became more affordable in 42 others, including 23 low or middle-income countries. In 133 countries, vapes and similar devices are now regulated in some way – up from only eight in 2007. However, 62 countries apply no regulations at all. The extent of regulation varies, with almost 90% of wealthier countries either regulating or banning sales, compared with 66% of middle-income and only 27% of poor countries. In the UK, disposable vapes were banned this month in a bid to prevent young people using them and on environmental grounds. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, said: 'Twenty years since the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we have many successes to celebrate, but the tobacco industry continues to evolve and so must we.' The report highlights nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products, as well as vapes, as examples of new products. Dr Rüdiger Krech, the WHO's director of health promotion, said they were 'aggressively marketed in ways that undermine hard-won public health gains'. He said national regulators could not be expected to deal with an onslaught of 'thousands' of new products, which represented an attempt by tobacco companies to focus attention away from their 'major business' of traditional tobacco. He added, however, that it was 'hugely important to regulate these new products, because they are attracting children and young people to actually use nicotine, and that's with the addiction that it brings', which he said would lead to tobacco use. Data is not available for all countries, but surveys suggest about 6% of children aged 13 to 15 use e-cigarettes. The WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic focuses on six tobacco control measures and rates countries on how far they have implemented them. These include taxation, introducing smoke-free air legislation, and offering smokers help to quit. Other measures include monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies, bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and warning people about the dangers via pack labels and information campaigns. Since 2007, 155 countries have implemented at least one of the six measures at 'best-practice' level, the report found, with four countries – Brazil, Mauritius, the Netherlands and Turkey – implementing the full package. However, 40 countries have no measure at best-practice level, and more than 30 countries still allow cigarettes to be sold with no mandatory health warning. It means billions of people remain unprotected from the ill effects of tobacco, which claims kills more than 7 million people a year, the report warned. Alison Cox, director of policy and advocacy at the NCD [non-communicable disease] Alliance, said: 'It's clear that there is a long way to go if we are to reduce the many unnecessary tobacco related illnesses and premature deaths still occurring globally. 'Raising taxes is one of the most effective measures that offers governments a triple win of reducing tobacco consumption, saving lives and healthcare costs, while raising much-needed revenue.'
The Independent
6 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Call for more taxes on smoking to make up cuts to global aid funding
Larger taxes should be placed on cigarettes around the world, experts have warned – with progress on tackling tobacco use having slowed for the first time in decades according to a new World Health Organisation (WHO) report. In the past decade the number of countries with at least one tobacco control measure in place – whether that's increased taxes, health warnings on packages, bans on advertising or smoking in public places – jumped from roughly 45 to more than 150. But of the seven such tobacco control measures recommended by the WHO, making cigarettes and other tobacco products more expensive through taxes has seen least progress. The WHO put the overall slowing of progress down to disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as challenges posed by the need to regulate a raft of new products like vapes, which the report said 'threaten[ed] to undo earlier progress made' in the more than 20 years since the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was agreed . 'Raising prices through taxation is the most effective way to reduce tobacco use,' the WHO report said, adding that this measure had only risen from 13 per cent in 2018 to 15 per cent in 2024. Speaking at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "The greatest gains have been made in developing countries where despite aggressive industry interference, governments and civil society have demonstrated that change for the better is possible. Yet, challenges remain.' 'Raising taxes on tobacco is a proven way to reduce tobacco use while generating revenues to reinvest in health." Dr Tedros added that raising taxes on cigarettes could help make up for cuts to global aid funding – particularly driven by Donald Trump and the US, but also including the UK and a number of other countries – which is expected to hit tobacco control efforts. 'And with [overseas development assistance] falling or the funding level for health falling, the taxes could be used for the gaps that are happening in many countries,' he said as he also called for more research on the health impact of new tobacco and nicotine products like vapes and smokeless tobacco. Andrew Black, who works on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control said: 'We're facing a really challenging problem especially when it comes to securing the resources that are needed to fight tobacco'. 'What we really need to do is to encourage governments to look domestically for sources of revenue... The very obvious place to look is through tobacco taxation,' he added. A tool developed by Johns Hopkins University in the US found increasing taxes on a pack of cigarettes in Kenya by 75 per cent could raise enough money to cover more than three-quarters of the funds lost to the country through foreign aid cuts. Dr Guy Marks, president of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, said: 'The reduction in funding for global health is a huge catastrophe for many things. Actually, tobacco control is one area which should be less affected by this than most others [if governments raise tobacco taxes].' 'Why does that not happen? It does not happen, because governments are convinced that they actually gain more revenue for continuing to allow tobacco to be sold," he added. "Why is this the case? Because there are huge political and other interests in countries that support the sale of tobacco.' Global tobacco industry watchdog STOP estimated $1.8 trillion (£1.3tn) US dollars were lost worldwide to tobacco due to the costs of healthcare and lost wages from tobacco-related illness. But some major strides have been made towards controlling tobacco use around the world over the past ten years. More countries have applied graphic health warnings to cigarette packs since 2007 than any other measure, with bans on smoking in public places being the next most common new measure to be introduced. But in many cases countries applying stark health warnings to cigarette packs demand no such thing on smokeless tobacco, which the WHO said could, 'wrongly suggest that some products are harmless'. And while there has been a rise in rules or bans on e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, more than 60 countries have no restrictions on sales of vapes at all. Hazel Cheeseman, the chief executive of UK public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said the progress was 'heartening' but that there was much left to be done. 'Tobacco taxes are one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking and can also raise revenue to support health systems. With 134 countries yet to make progress in this area this is an area of significantly untapped potential,' she said. 'Ending the harms from tobacco takes time and I hope the UK government will continue to provide assistance to other countries for the long term helping to secure a planet where no one dies from tobacco related illness.'
News24
04-06-2025
- Business
- News24
Smoking prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa shows the urgent need for effective regulation
A new academic study on smoking rates in Sub-Saharan Africa has given cause for concern and shows the need for an urgent review of existing approaches to tobacco control in the region. Worldwide, more than 1.1 billion people smoked tobacco in 2019, resulting in about 8 million deaths. 1 in 5 adults worldwide are consuming tobacco. Globally, over 22 000 people die from tobacco use or second-hand smoke exposure every day — that equates to one person every 4 seconds. (Ref: The Tobacco Body, 31 May 2019 Publication. While smoking rates have declined globally, progress in less developed regions, including Sub-Saharan Africa, has been slower. Adolescent smoking remains a concern, with a 23.5% lifetime prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa recorded in 2018 and no updated data to date. To address the deficiency in data, Belete H, et al1 searched databases for peer-reviewed observational online studies published from January 2018 to 2023 and calculated the weighted pooled smoking prevalence using meta-regression analysis. A total of 10 310 unique records were screened and 340 studies were included for full-text screening, of which 195 studies were retained for the meta-analysis, amounting to 1,3 million participants. The findings showed overall lifetime smoking prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa at 8.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.1, 13.4%), with 10.8% (CI 4.0%, 19.9%) having smoked in the past year and 5.8% in the past 6 months. Regional disparities in adult smoking rates revealed notable trends: the southern SSA region showed a lifetime prevalence of 37.1%, while South Africa reported a 12-month prevalence of 59.2% and a 6-month prevalence of 19.6%. Namibia's lifetime prevalence stood at 28.9%. This is comparable to the lifetime prevalence in the United States, which is 19% and regularly tracked and monitored through population data. However, the SSA region confronts substantial obstacles, including insufficient healthcare resources, inadequate implementation of tobacco control policies, and the burden of hosting two-thirds of the world's most impoverished populations. As the authors noted: 'these results underscore the growing rates of tobacco use in Sub-Saharan Africa, reinforcing the idea that high smoking prevalence is increasingly concentrated in low-income regions like Sub-Saharan Africa. Without collective action, smoking rates in SSA could rise, triggering serious health and economic issues. The smoking epidemic is shifting toward low-income countries. Without urgent policy action, SSA risks falling short of the WHO's 2025 goal to cut tobacco use by 30%.' 2 They recommend, among others, that countries in the region strengthen their tobacco monitoring systems and adopt innovative strategies for smoking prevention. This lack of comprehensive data collection not only hinders the precise assessment of smoking prevalence but also masks the full scope of smoking-related public health challenges within the SSA region. It is critical to have consistent enforcement of international tobacco control measures to effectively reduce smoking rates in all population groups. Another part of the solution is suggested by research from Australia and New Zealand which compares vaping and smoking trends in the two countries in the context of their different regulatory policies.3 The study shows that between 2016 and 2023, the smoking rate in New Zealand (from 14.5% to 6.8%) fell twice as fast than in Australia (from 12.2% to 8.3%). With a significant decline in the disadvantaged and indigenious populations. Smoking prevalence fell three times faster in New Zealand's lowest socioeconomic group than in the same population in Australia (12% per year vs 4% per year). New Zealand's liberal vaping laws were linked to faster smoking decline compared to Australia. The authors note that the largest smoking reductions in both countries were in young adults, who also reported the highest vaping rates, while youth smoking rates declined in both countries to very low levels. Turning to the contrasting regulatory approaches between the two countries, they argue that Australia has taken a 'highly restrictive precautionary approach to regulating nicotine vaping products by classifying nicotine e-liquid as a prescription-only 'unapproved' medicine since 2011'. Vapers could only buy nicotine e-liquid legally with a doctor's prescription, but this prescription model has resulted in low rates of prescribing, low compliance by vapers and the emergence of a large illicit market controlled by criminal networks, which supplies over 90% of vaping products. 'In contrast, New Zealand has adopted a more risk-proportionate approach. It has endorsed vaping as a tool for smoking cessation and encouraged its use among adults unable to quit smoking through other means.'4 According to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) New Zealand, there is minimal evidence of a significant illicit market for vaping products in that country. Australia's stringent medical model for vaping has unintentionally nurtured a flourishing and increasingly violent black market. At present, over 90% of vaping products available in Australia are sourced from unlawful channels, devoid of safety regulations and readily accessible to young individuals. Recent reports have revealed that more than 220 vape and tobacco shops across the nation have been targeted in firebombing attacks. The findings of the study suggest that vaping has not served as a gateway to smoking. Instead, it appears to have steered young individuals away from the use of combustible tobacco products. The Australian medical model for vaping serves as a cautionary tale about the complexities of regulation for policymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Without addressing the black market's proliferation and its accompanying social harms, the intended benefits of strict vaping policies may be overshadowed by their unintended consequences. A more nuanced, evidence-based strategy could be pivotal in achieving the twin goals of public health and safety and may contribute to more rapid progress in reducing smoking prevalence in the region. Insert new reference: Ref: The Tobacco Body, 31 May 2019 Publication. 1. Belete H, et al. Tobacco smoking in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug Alcohol Rev. Feb 2025; 1-13. 2. Belete H, et al. Tobacco smoking in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug Alcohol Rev. Feb 2025; 1-13. 3. Mendelsohn CP et al. Do the differing vaping and smoking trends in Australia and New Zealand reflect different regulatory policies. Addiction, 2025 4. Mendelsohn CP et al. Do the differing vaping and smoking trends in Australia and New Zealand reflect different regulatory policies. Addiction, 2025 About HRiSSA: The Harm Reduction Advocacy in Sub-Saharan Africa society (HRiSSA) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to delivering appropriate, quality patient care supported with the latest scientific evidence based data. The society is administered by harm reduction experts and as such has a latitudinous collaboration across both African and global harm reduction focus groups and research networks. Patient advocacy and Public Health are an integral focus of the Society and to this end, information and resources are made available to patients and their families on all aspects of harm reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. For more information, please contact : office@ (
Japan Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Global crises disrupt effort to get millions to quit smoking
The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and wars have combined to hamper global governments' plans to reduce tobacco use, derailing efforts to get an estimated 95 million people to stop smoking, a report endorsed by 57 campaign groups said on Friday. Governments had planned to reduce smoking rates among people over 15 by 30% between 2010 and 2025 as part of an action plan tied to global sustainable development targets agreed in 2015. But the timeline to achieve the goal was extended an extra five years in 2024 as other priorities pushed countries to divert resources away from implementing a World Health Organization treaty on tobacco control signed by 168 countries. "This ... delay represents an estimated 95 million additional tobacco users, who would otherwise have quit by 2025," said the report, submitted to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, which oversees global sustainable development. While governments have succeeded in reducing the number of smokers, the failure to hit the 30% reduction target means that 1,207,800,000 people are still smoking globally, instead of the target of 1,112,400,000, based on smoking rates and population figures provided in the report. Published by Action on Smoking and Health Canada and endorsed by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Cancer Research U.K. and others, the report warned the delays could result in millions of additional deaths from tobacco use if sustained. The U.N. has already acknowledged that funding shortfalls, geopolitical tensions and pandemic-linked disruptions have pushed the world off track on most of the 17 wide-ranging sustainable development goals. Those goals aim, among other things, to reduce poverty and hunger and increase access to healthcare and education. The groups that endorsed ASH Canada's report urged governments to redouble their efforts on tobacco control policies such as tax increases and smoking bans.
