Health advocates push for harm reduction in smoking alternatives
Speaking at The Wellness Collective, a gathering focused on shifting South Africa from selling harm to promoting wellness, Masuku on Tuesday pointed to the example of a pregnant woman who smokes but cannot quit entirely.
'So, it's just a matter that maybe scientists must take a more serious approach on the alternatives on addiction itself,' he said. Parliament is continuing public hearings on the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill.
Independent scientists and medical practitioners have already told the portfolio committee on health that harm reduction is grounded in science and offers safer alternatives to smoking.
Tobacco harm reduction advocate Buhle Binta, who also serves as head of scientific engagement for Sub-Saharan Africa at tobacco company Philip Morris International, spoke to the collective about the importance of alternatives such as e-cigarettes in health discussions.
'The importance of harm reduction is that people who smoke have started for various reasons: behavioural reasons, peer pressure, stress management, or whatever it is but at the end of the day, the reality is they are smoking now and we always, as a company, say that you should quit. Quit if you can but for someone who cannot quit or makes the choice not to quit, we cannot stigmatise them and this is where harm reduction comes in,' she said.
Dr Vivian Manyeki, a public health physician and epidemiologist at Kenyatta National Hospital, the largest referral hospital in East and Central Africa, would like to see a future in which Africa leads with its own context-driven health policies, shaped by lived experiences, local expertise and innovation.
'We've stopped using frameworks that work in another country and we've brought ours, we've made ours, and we've incorporated all those groups we are saying we want to go to the table. We are using new artificial intelligence technologies. We are using the new styles. We are using evidence-based approaches, and we are taking experiences and master stories to build the frameworks for the policies.
'I'd like to see a future where we don't have to remind people what harm reduction is. We don't have to define it. Let it be something that people know. They know that wearing a safety belt is a harm reduction practice. Using a condom is a harm reduction practice. I want a future where we tell people it is OK to use these products as part of harm reduction strategies,' she said.
Medical practitioner and consultant Dr Esthras Moloko appealed to delegates to seize Women's Month by 'living by example'.
'By blending compassion with science, inclusion with transparency, urgency with innovation, we can unlock healthier futures for every South African woman and man and their families. From sunscreens to seat belts, innovations to reduce harm caused by certain behaviours and activities must be woven into our everyday lives.'
Moloko said inclusive, transparent and timely regulation could unlock the full potential of harm reduction, not only for tobacco addiction, but also for challenges such as sugar overconsumption, alcohol misuse, and more.
'Regulation is one of the tools that we must use against co-incurring and non-co-incurring diseases. By embedding these inclusive, transparent and timely regulation principles, and applying them across multiple domains of addictions and addictive behaviours, government, business, and various centres can deliver significant health gains.'
'They can protect the vulnerable populations and uphold the spirit of those who, like the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, call for harm reduction. So join me today and every day in building a culture of health and wellness where no harm is left behind, no harm is unavoidable, and every life is finite,' he said.
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