Global tobacco control treaty binira ng health experts

MANILA, Philippines – KINASTIGO ng public health experts ang World Health Organization’s tobacco control accord dahil patuloy na hindi nito isinasama ang “scientific at technological advancements” sa policy discussion, dahilan para pagkaitan ang mga smoker o mga naninigarilyo sa buong mundo ng kamalayan at kaalaman ukol sa “less harmful alternatives” na magagamit nila.

Sinabi ni Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, isang cardiologist at nangungunang mananaliksik sa tobacco harm reduction, habang binabalewala ng WHO’s Framework Convention on tobacco Control at ng iba pang national health authorities ang merito ng THR, ang walang pasubaling bilang ng mga mani-nigarilyo sa buong mundo ay naragdagan ng 1.3 bilyon nga-yon sa kabila ng 60 taon na akumuladong kaalaman ukol sa masamang dulot ng paninigarilyo.

“We are literally preventing people from quitting smoking through the use of alternative products by demonizing these alternative products just because they contain nicotine,” ayon kay Dr. Farsalinos sa isinagawang THR Summit Spain na idinaos kamakailan sa Universidad Rey Juan Carlos sa Madrid.

Nauna rito, inilarawan ng kilalang public health authorities ang FCTC bilang isang halimbawa ng global public health agreement na hindi na akma para sa nilalayon nito dahil sa patuloy na binabalewala ang pananaw ng mga pa-ngunahing stakeholder at tinanggihan na kilalanin ang pina-kabagong scientific developments.

Kapwa naman nagbabala sina Dr. Michael De Luca, isang Disaster and Operational Medicine Fellow, Department of Emergency Medicine, The George Washington University at Dr. Mario L. Ramirez, isang Emergency Medicine Phy-sician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital ukol sa naging panukalang pandemic treaty ng WHO, nagbabadya itong mabigo kapag inihalintulad sa FCTC.

Tinutukoy ang smoke-free products gaya ng e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products at snus na ayon sa napaka-laking scientific studies, ay “far less harmful than traditional cigarettes”, sinabi ni Dr. Farsalinos na “You don’t need to be a scientist in order to understand the vast difference in the risk between smoking tobacco cigarettes and using electronic ci-garettes. On one side, we have tobacco cigarettes which are burning organic matter at temperatures that go up to 800 degrees Celsius when a smoker takes a puff. On the other side, we have a device which uses electricity to heat a coil and to evaporate a liquid, which is subsequently recondensed in temperatures of less than 300 degrees Celsius. Just hearing this, a non-expert, a non-scientist can understand that these are vastly different products.”

“The level of risk difference is tremendous, and we have repeatedly seen that in many studies over the last 10 years. I’ve offered many of them, but all the studies converge basically. I don’t think there is any disagreement. We now see scientific societies accepting the substantially lower level of potential toxins in electronic cigarette aerosol than tobacco smoke,” dagdag na wika nito.

“Unfortunately, all our medical products to quit smoking are not very effective. That’s why most smokers are going to end up using these alternative products. We need clinicians to provide this option to the smoker, instead of misinforming and scaring them,” aniya pa rin.

Si Dr. Farsalinos ay kilala bilang may-akda ng “most peer-reviewed publications hinggil sa e-cigarettes sa buong mundo.

Iprinisinta nito ang pinakabagong scientific evidence ukol sa harm reduction products na patuloy na pinagtatalunan —”with more evidence than ever—that alternative products are much less harmful than smoking.”

Isa rin siya sa hanay ng mga panelist sa idinaos na THR Summit Spain kung saan tinalakay ang epekto na ang “harm reduction strategies can have in the area of smoking.”

Nagsilbi itong forum para makapag-ambag sa henerasyon ng mga bagong panukala para harapin ang problema ng pa-ninigarilyo, magbigay ng mga bagong “points of reflection para sa scientists, professionals, technical at political decision-makers.”

Sinabi pa niya na sa kasamaang-palad, ang global campaign laban sa smoking ay nakatuon karamihan sa pulitika, etika, at moralismo at mayroong mallit na atensyon sa si-yentipiko at public health.

“So, a public health issue about smoking-related disease has turned into a moral issue of whether it’s ethical and ap-propriate to use or not use a subs-tance,” ayon kay Dr. Far-salinos sabay sabing “We need to go back to what public health is, and public health is not a moral issue. It’s an issue of smoking-related disease when we discuss about smoking.” KRIS JOSE