In an open letter addressed to the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, researchers from CoEHAR, the Center of Excellence for Accelerating Risk Reduction, from the University of Catania, Italy, and a group of experts including Portuguese doctor Bruno Maia, calls for a redefinition of tobacco control policy. They argue that they should consider the relevant role of combustion-free alternatives and risk reduction approaches.
“Our hope is that, in light of scientific evidence, the FCTC [Convenção Quadro da OMS para o Controlo do Tabaco – CQCT] and the European Union are conducting a careful, balanced and transparent assessment of the available scientific evidence on smokeless products, compared to conventional cigarettes, to provide indispensable information for decision-making in the interests of millions of smokers”, says the letter addressed to the European Commissioner.
Ninety-one harm reduction experts sign the letter, calling on the European Commissioner for Health “on the importance of applying risk reduction principles in public health policies to combat tobacco addiction.” as stated in the CoEHAR statement.
This initiative comes on the occasion of the Conference of the Parties (COP10), which will take place from November 20 to 25 in Panama, where delegates will represent the countries that have signed the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a group in which Portugal is among involved, they will discuss tobacco and nicotine policies. As CoEHAR states, the WHO FCTC will decide “on public health guidance for participating countries, including the EU,” as it does every two years.
“As is known, the position of the FCTC in Panama will be to equate smokeless products with conventional cigarettes, in total contrast to the results of all scientific literature that prove the effectiveness of risk reduction principles in the fight against smoking,” the memo said Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Risk Reduction, at the University of Catania.
According to Professor Riccardo Polosa, founder of CoEHAR, “it is necessary to understand that many smokers, if not the majority, cannot or do not intend to quit smoking”. “And for these individuals, especially those with specific pathologies, the transition from conventional cigarettes to non-combustion devices can represent a significant improvement in terms of health,” he believes.
Riccardo Polosa gives the example of countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Japan and New Zealand, which have adopted risk reduction principles, all of which have recorded significant reductions in smoking rates, even among young people, as indicated in the report. letter addressed to the European Commissioner for Health.
“Any regulation on smokeless products must balance the need to protect young people with the need to help adult smokers quit,” Polosa said.
It is emphasized that the “CoEHAR Center of Excellence” has investigated the effects of smokeless products and their impact on health status, showing with reliable data that these products lead to a significant reduction in risk compared to conventional cigarettes, helping smokers to quit smoking and offer clinical guarantees. relevant improvements in users with smoking-related pathologies”.
In the letter, the experts write that “it is time to admit that current tobacco control strategies are not delivering the desired results quickly enough.” They therefore state that it is “necessary to complement” existing anti-smoking policies “with new approaches, such as risk reduction strategies.” This means offering “combustion-free alternatives for adult smokers” to conventional cigarettes.
Source: DN
