MANILA, Philippines – NANAWAGAN ang isang grupo ng tobacco harm reduction experts sa World Health Organization na kilalanin ang innovative products gaya ng vapes, heated tobacco at nicotine pouches, sabay sabing ang prohibitionist approach ng organisasyon ay salungat sa misyon nito na bawasan ang mga pagkamatay na may kaugnayan sa tabako.
Sa isang international webinar na may titulong “How the WHO Undermines World No Tobacco Day,” binatikos ng Taxpayer’s Protection Alliance ang pag-aatubili ng WHO na suportahan ang harm reduction tools sa kabila ng lumalagong ebidensya ng pagiging epektibo nito sa pagtulong sa mga naninigarilyo na huminto.
Sinabi ni TPA fellow Martin Cullip, isang prominenteng harm reduction advocate, na ang WHO ay “ignoring the populations most at risk.”
“The WHO dismisses adult smokers and vapers, even though adults bear the vast majority of tobacco-related harm. It’s odd to see the organization celebrate bans on products that aren’t even made from tobacco,” ayon kay Cullip.
Ipinahayag naman ng mga kalahok mula sa Australia, South Africa, at United Kingdom na ang prohibitionist stance o paninindigan ng pagbabawal ng WHO ay counterproductive, nagpapalala sa mga pagkamatay na may kaugnayan sa paninigarilyo, at nanggagatong sa black markets.
Sinabi ni Pippa Starr, founder ng ALIVE (Australia, Let’s Improve Vaping Education), na hindi binago ng WHO ang pahayag nito sa nakalipas na dekada.
“About 11 or 12 years ago, they said in their statement that if we keep going as we are right now, we’re going to lose up to a billion lives this century. That’s what they said. Eleven or 12 years later, how much success have they had? Well, right as we stand, we’re on track to lose 1.2 billion lives this century,” ayon kay Starr.
“Australia has a massive black market and 66 people die daily from smoking-related disease. These outcomes are tied to WHO-endorsed policies. Rather than reward failed approaches, the WHO should be focused on saving lives,” aniya pa rin.
Binatikos naman ni Kurt Yeo, international harm reduction advocate at co-founder ng VSML (Vaping Saved My Life), ang detachment o paglayo ng WHO mula sa on-the-ground realities.
“WHO policies are scripted and disconnected. We need a full range of tools to achieve a smoke-free future. Prohibition has failed in countries like Mexico, India, and Singapore. The WHO isn’t facing the real issues,” ani Yeo.
“Our biggest challenge when it comes to ‘no tobacco’ is trying to find ways to help people quit smoking. And when you have a country like, for Africa, where we don’t have cessation support, we have an enormous illicit cigarette trade, and we have no real will to help people quit smoking. It just doesn’t fit,” aniya pa rin.
Winika naman ni Reem Ibrahim, communications manager ng Institute of Economic Affairs ng UK, na hindi pinapansin ng WHO ang scientific evidence.
“Harm reduction works. These products help people quit. But the WHO’s strategy blocks access and ultimately harms public health,” ang sinabi ni Ibrahim.
Ani Ibrahim, tinanggap ng mga bansang gaya ng UK at Sweden ang tobacco harm reduction. Sinabi naman ng National Health Service sa UK, partikular sa website nito, na ang vaping ay maaaring gamitin bilang tool o kasangkapan para tulungan ang mga tao na huminto sa paninigarilyo.
Sinabi ng NHS na “while nicotine is a highly addictive drug, it does not contain toxic chemicals found in cigarettes, including tar and tobacco.”
“It is the many other toxic chemicals contained in tobacco smoke that cause almost all the harm from smoking. Nicotine itself does not cause cancer, lung disease, heart disease or stroke and has been used safely for many years in medicines to help people stop smoking,” ang pahayag ng NHS.
Sinabi pa ni Ibrahim na nagawa ng Sweden na ibaba ang smoking rates nito sa mababa sa 5 porsyento, na maaaring ilarawan bilang smoke-free threshold.
“They’ve been able to do so by allowing adults to choose safer and healthier, low-risk nicotine products, namely, snus which is culturally important in Sweden, and it’s effective in that way,” ayon kay Ibrahim.
“This is entirely an antithesis to what the World Health Organization has advocated for,” aniya pa rin.
Bilang pagtugon sa webinar, sinabi ng Nicotine Consumers Union of the Philippines (NCUP) na ang ibang nicotine-delivery forms gaya ng e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, at nicotine pouches ay nakatulong sa milyong maninigarilyo na huminto.
“Tobacco harm reduction (THR) provides consumers with alternatives to smoking cigarettes, allowing them to choose products which are less harmful to them,” ang sinabi ni NCUP president Anton Israel.
Tinuran naman ni Israel na ang THR, bilang isang public health strategy, ay mas epektibo kaysa sa tahasang pagbabawal sa pagbabawas ng masamang epekto sa kalusugan ng paggamit ng tabako, partikular na para sa mga indibidwal na ayaw o hindi kayang ihinto ang nikotina nang ganap. RNT
