WHO tobacco treaty's failure to uphold harm reduction threatens progress in public health

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) warns that the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) risks undermining its own mandate by excluding harm reduction as part of its tobacco control strategy ahead of the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP).

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CAPHRA said that the FCTC has deviated from its founding definition of tobacco control, which explicitly includes harm reduction alongside supply and demand measures under Article 1(d) of the treaty.

Tobacco harm reduction is a public health strategy that aims to reduce the harm caused by cigarettes through the promotion of alternatives that do not burn and produce smoke, like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches.