MANILA, Philippines- Tinuglisa ng Tobacco Harm Reduction advocates ang anti-vaping groups sa pagpapakalat ng ‘misinformation’ at inililigaw ang publiko, kung saan sinasabi nilang pinipigilan ang milyong mga naninigarilyo na maka-access sa potensial na life-saving smoke-free alternatives.
“It sort of feels like they don’t care,” ayon kay David Sweanor, adjunct law professor sa University of Ottawa sa Canada na mayroong 40-year career sa ‘tobacco control and law.’
“Smokeless technologies could prevent millions of deaths annually because they don’t produce smoke containing toxic substances,” dagdag niya.
Ang tumataas o gabundok na scientific evidence mula sa maipagkakapuring public health institutions ang magpapatunay at magpapatibay na ang nikotina ay hindi sanhi ng smoking-related diseases. Sa halip, ang may sindi na tobacco ang lumilikha ng libo-libong nakalalasong kemikal na sanhi ng cancer at iba pang nakamamatay na sakit.
Ang Office for Health Improvement and Disparities ng United Kingdom ay determinado naman sa kanilang “current series of evidence reviews about the health harms of vaping by leading independent tobacco experts” na ang vaping ay 95% na ‘less harmful’ kaysa sa paninigarilyo.
Sa pagsasalita sa kamakailan lamang na Global Forum on Nicotine sa Warsaw, Poland, sinabi ni Sweanor na hindi naman lingid sa kaalaman ng mga mamimili ang mga kasinungalingan na ipinakakalat ng anti-vaping groups ukol sa innovative alternatives na natuklasan ng scientific studies na mas ligtas kaysa combustible cigarettes.
“The consumers themselves are moving. They’re learning about this. They’re seeing the benefits personally. So they’re way ahead of where many of the anti-nicotine people are. They’re the ones who push for the change. They’re the ones who see the benefits,” ayon kay Sweanor.
“Millions of consumers have switched from cigarettes to safer nicotine products like vapes, heated tobacco, and oral nicotine pouches despite the unscientific claims and scare tactics of anti-vaping organizations,” patuloy niya.
“They do learn that there’s huge differentials in risks. And they do learn that these organizations are misleading them,” ayon pa kay Sweanor.
Partikular na kinuwestiyon ni Sweanor ang pagtanggi ng World Health Organization sa potensyal para sa harm reduction sa pamamagitan ng ‘less harmful alternatives’ gaya ng vapes, heated tobacco, at oral nicotine pouches.
“How do you deny all these people who’ve been able to quit and move over to these products? You’ve never seen anything like that with any nicotine replacement therapy. And why aren’t we studying that?” giit ni Sweanor sa Global Forum on Nicotine.
Winika ni Sweanor na dahil ipinalalagay na ang bagong teknolohiya ay may taglay na ‘unknown risks,’ ito ang dahilan para itulak ang mas maraming debate.
“The market for cigarette alternatives has grown into a $350 billion global industry,” base naman sa report ni Harry Shapiro, executive editor ng Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction.
“Over 120 million people worldwide, mainly in high-income countries, now use safer nicotine products,” giit ni Shapiro.
Ikinumpara ni Sweanor ang mabilis na pagbabago sa nicotine industry sa pagtaas ng mobile phones. Binigyang-diin nito ang pangangailangan para sa regulasyon naikilalanin kapwa ang ‘innovation at potential risks.’
Samantala, binatikos ni Sweanor ang anti-vaping groups dahil inuuna nito ang slogans kaysa sa data-driven approaches. RNT
