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Daily Express
13 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Express
GFN promotes tobacco harm reduction rationales to policy decision makers
Published on: Wednesday, July 30, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 30, 2025 By: David Thien Text Size: This year's GFN theme is 'Challenging Perceptions – Effective Communication for Tobacco Harm Reduction', gathered together global experts and stakeholders to forge strategic communication to reshape narratives and support evidence-based approaches to nicotine use and public health. WARSAW: The 12th edition of the Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN 2025) aims to get the right message to decision makers all around the world on the need to have alternative nicotine delivery products for those who could not give up nicotine use to curb smoking-related diseases and deaths. Experts agree that tobacco harm reduction can be a valuable public health strategy for reducing the negative impact of damaging behaviours in individuals who are unable or unwilling to quit smoking. Smoke-free products could reduce exposure to harmful chemicals. Meanwhile, the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which was reported to be heavily funded by Michael Bloomberg, continues to promote a one-size-fits-all, abstinence-only model. The result has been restrictive bans on safer products while combustible cigarettes remain widely available. This year's GFN theme is 'Challenging Perceptions – Effective Communication for Tobacco Harm Reduction', gathered together global experts and stakeholders to forge strategic communication to reshape narratives and support evidence-based approaches to nicotine use and public health. The event was held from June 19 to 21, 2025, at the Presidential Hotel (formerly the Marriott) in the CBD heart of Warsaw, Poland to show how global tobacco and nicotine regulation discussions lack consumer representation, disadvantaging smokers and vapers. It was said that the World Conference on Tobacco Control overlooks harm reduction strategies, favouring prohibitionist policies influenced by figures like Michael Bloomberg and the World Health Organization (WHO). The upcoming COP11 and EU regulations could shape future nicotine policies, potentially blocking safer alternatives. Despite successful harm reduction examples in certain countries, for example, the EU is leaning towards restrictive measures like flavour bans and tax hikes. This should be challenged. Advocates emphasize the need for evidence-based, consumer-centric policies to combat smoking-related illnesses. Policymakers face a crucial decision: prioritize public health or maintain outdated ideologies at the expense of consumer well-being. UKM Prof. Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, chair of the Malaysia Society for Harm Reduction and a panel speaker at GFN 2025 said: 'We can raise awareness in the community. We can train frontline staff in tobacco harm reduction. But if we don't have the safer nicotine products available, we are not achieving the change we need to achieve. 'In Malaysia, as well as in many other low and middle-income countries, tobacco control is very traditional. It's basically a prohibitionist approach which tries to ban everything under the sun, not only tobacco, but now also alternative nicotine products. 'Coming from an NGO, the Malaysian Society for Harm Reduction, we try to educate and advocate, but most of this falls on deaf ears. We are seen as arms of big tobacco, even though the research we produce is not funded by tobacco companies. 'I think there's a lot of failure stories, but there are a lot of success stories as well on the use of alternative nicotine products all over the world that low and middle-income countries can actually emulate, success stories like Japan, the UK or New Zealand,' said Prof. Dr Sharifa. The progress of tobacco harm reduction is being slowed by a paradox: as the scientific basis steadily consolidates, public perceptions are worsening by government's vilifying propaganda on alternative nicotine delivery products which are overlooked in smoking cessation protocols. At the GFN 2025 session on 'What I Hear vs. What I Know: Battling Misinformation from the Newsroom to the Facebook', panel speaker Maria Papaioannoy-Duic of Canada, said: 'What I've learned is when science doesn't back tobacco control's story, they don't revise the policy, they rewrite the story, not with facts, but with fear, drama and deliberate misinformation. 'In the fight for access to safer nicotine products, the truth isn't just ignored, it's attacked, silenced and mocked. A health official makes a statement, a journalist runs with it, a politician amplifies it, and suddenly it's viral. Meanwhile, we, consumers, advocates, we're in our chat groups, we are sharing sources, correcting headlines and trying to hold the line with science, evidence and facts.' According to Maria Papaioannoy-Duic, who is the founder and spokesperson of Rights 4 Vapers, the misinformation is institutional, not only in Canada, but around the world. Health agencies, regulators, even doctors, often repeat outdated or debunked information, sometimes out of fear, sometimes out of habit, and most times because they just don't have the time to learn. 'And the thing is, tobacco control knows this, and they capitalise on it. No one wants to really defend nicotine, because it's not sexy. But this isn't about being liked, it's about eradicating smoking, and that means telling the truth even when it's uncomfortable.' Maria Papaioannoy-Duic revealed that in 2022, the Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey broke down the numbers on relative risk and beliefs among Canadians and found that 81 per cent of Canadians either misunderstood or had no idea that vaping is safer than smoking. 'And when we look at people who smoke, 79 per cent didn't know that vaping is safer, and among those who smoke but have never tried a vaping product, a staggering 90 per cent believed vaping is as bad or worse. 'These are the very people who stand to benefit the most from switching to safer alternatives, yet misinformation has left them stuck, misled, confused and still smoking. They truly believe, because of where they go to get their information, that smoking that cigarette will keep them alive longer and healthier than switching to a vape. 'My 2009 self would never believe what is happening in 2025. Millions of us who quit smoking with safer alternatives are now being told we're wrong. Instead of tobacco companies being the villains, it's us, people who use safer nicotine products and speak up and out about it, we are cast as the threats. 'Globally, governments are pushing their citizens to break the laws just to access a vape or pouch because the alternative to them is going back to smoking. When it comes to policy, science should take the lead, but in this space, emotion seems to win. Panic spreads faster than peer-reviewed studies. Tobacco Control is a well-oiled and frankly spoiled machine. It has no hesitation to reframe the narrative, to make anyone that goes against them the enemy, including folks who speak up for safer nicotine products. 'To them, we're the enemy, because we're telling the world nicotine isn't the problem, combustion is. So, what do we do? We continue to push back with facts, with strategy and with heart, and most importantly, with action, from rallies to letters, from bus tours to social media, from simple pop ups to emails, we find a way to tell our story. 'When you show up calmly with credible information and lived experience, that's when cracks start to form. When voices come together, when harm reduction meets medicine, meets policy, meets lived experience, that's when we get traction. So, whether you're an advocate, a policy maker, a health professional, someone trying to make a difference in your own circle, facts matter. Continue to share them, because lives depend on them. We are the public health heroes. We're the ones that have to push the narrative and we're the ones that have to keep moving forward,' Maria Papaioannoy-Duic stressed. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
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Daily Express
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Express
Docs speak up for safer smokeless tobacco, nicotine usage
Published on: Thursday, July 24, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jul 24, 2025 By: David Thien Text Size: 'How can we convince those in power that this consumer-led public health revolution can lead to real-world change?' asked Mark, who hosted the first public event on vaping in Vancouver in 2018. WARSAW: Everything possible should be done to increase smokers' access to tobacco harm reduction initiatives and increase the acceptance of such products, make them as easy to get as possible so as to get as many people off cigarettes. However, Prof. Dr Mark Tyndall, a professor at the University of British Columbia, and previously Director of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, said this is not happening. Speaking at the 12th Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN 2025) at the Warsaw Presidential Hotel from June 19 to 21, he said consumer advocates and tobacco harm reduction campaigners face significant challenges engaging lawmakers and public health organisations, including structural opposition to safer nicotine products. 'How can we convince those in power that this consumer-led public health revolution can lead to real-world change?' asked Mark, who hosted the first public event on vaping in Vancouver in 2018. 'I think the future of safer tobacco products is promising, but it's taking far too long and we really need to find ways to speed up this transition that I think will inevitably occur, but there's things that we can do right now.' He said based on his experience community activism is extremely important. 'We need to encourage and get people who have started to vape and people in the community who can really advocate for themselves and have a voice. 'If you have a heart attack, you see a cardiologist. If you have lung cancer, you'll see an oncologist. If you have bad COPD, you'll see a respirologist. They don't really think for one minute about prevention. 'They're really focused on helping people in their current situation and don't really look at the big picture of prevention. 'But the point is we've really created a whole medical infrastructure around treating these chronic illnesses due to smoking, and nobody's in a big hurry to change it. 'Also, tobacco control organizations aren't in a big hurry to change things, so they've really had decades of working on abstinence-based programs.' He said when safer products became available, they were constantly cautious, but now instead of starting to discuss the possibilities of how these could help people and help people's health, they just continue to double down. 'And now, 10 or 15 years into it, it's really hard for these tobacco control organizations to take a big breath and say maybe we were wrong all along, and that's probably not likely to happen because then people would ask, well, what else have you been wrong about for the last 10 or 15 years? 'So there's a lot of credibility at store there, and it's very hard, I think, for people to change course when they've doubled down and dug in so deep against these safer products.' He said in many countries tobacco companies aren't allowed to say that vaping is safer and that's a huge problem as far as getting the message out there,' Prof. Dr Mark Tyndall said. He remains committed to seeing an end to combustible cigarettes through vaping and other low-risk nicotine products. His book, 'Vaping Behind the Smoke and Fears', was launched at the occasion. Malaysia is one of those countries where it is not permissible to say that vaping is safer than smoking. It is well established that nicotine does not cause smoking-related diseases, which result instead from the inhalation of toxicants in tobacco smoke. Vapes, pouches, pasteurised snus and heated tobacco products (HTPs) all deliver nicotine without combustion, leading to substantially reduced health risks in comparison to continued smoking. These alternative products to cigarette smoking should be encouraged as substitutes for smokers who can't quit. The new regulations to enforce Malaysia's Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852), which replaced the previous version, now also include vape and e-cigarettes equally under expanded and updated controls. Vape and e-cigarettes are treated similarly to cigarettes and tobacco products. Malaysia currently spends an estimated RM16 billion annually treating smoking-related illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. Public access to alternative smoking products should be encouraged as preventive measures to minimise smoking-related illnesses. Dr Carolyn Beaumont said: 'We shouldn't need to put our reputation on the line, risk media censure and medical board discipline amid false accusations of being beholden to the tobacco industry. "But as a doctor, that's exactly what I've experienced. No wonder tobacco harm reduction isn't attracting more health professionals.' She hopes the voice of health professionals continues to play a leading role in promoting Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR). Not only doctors, pharmacists, nurses, dentists, social workers, psychologists, to name a few. 'The impact a single health professional can have on helping many smokers is remarkable,' she said, adding although they won't easily get media or politicians on side any time soon, 'we must focus on educating health professionals about tobacco harm reduction.' It's simply about offering smokers more solutions, about acknowledging that many don't want to give up nicotine and that they're sick of being lectured to and judged by doctors. 'I'm not telling doctors to ignore existing replacement therapies. I'm simply telling them there's another extremely effective tool in the toolbox. I want to briefly talk about the future of nicotine products, in particular nicotine pouches. 'And all I can say about this is three things. Innovate, regulate, educate. Whatever helps a smoker quit has to be considered seriously, and not just dismissed as yet another tobacco industry ploy to addict the next generation. 'We could remain open to new nicotine technologies and at the same time ensure they remain regulated and as safe as possible,' Dr Carolyn Beaumont. Paddy Costall said the aim is to win over medical professionals one at a time.
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Daily Express
23-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Express
Journos learn facts on alternatives to smoking
Published on: Wednesday, July 23, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 23, 2025 Text Size: Journalists learned of the various scientific study facts during presentations by scientists and doctors among other professionals At the 12th Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN 2025) that was held at the Warsaw Presidential Hotel from June 19 to 21. WARSAW: Tobacco harm reduction or THR enables people to switch away from smoking and other risky tobacco to safer nicotine products if they do not want to quit using nicotine completely. Studies in the United States, Sweden, New Zealand, and Japan have shown that smoke-free products can reduce smoking, although longer-term data is needed to quantify the impact. It was revealed that harm reduction approach is possible with the understanding that nicotine, an addictive component of cigarette smoke, is a primary driver for continued smoking. Journalists learned of the various scientific study facts during presentations by scientists and doctors among other professionals At the 12th Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN 2025) that was held at the Warsaw Presidential Hotel from June 19 to 21. Nicotine does not cause cancer. People smoke in order to use nicotine, and smoking is the world's leading cause of non-communicable disease. Other forms of tobacco use can be also very damaging to health. When tobacco burns, it releases thousands of toxic chemicals inhaled in smoke. Remove the combustion and the harm is significantly reduced. It is the chronic exposure to the harmful and potentially harmful constituents generated and emitted in cigarette smoke when the tobacco is burned that is the main cause of smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, and cardiovascular disease. Smoke-free products that deliver nicotine without combustion and with far lower levels of toxicants are closer on the spectrum to cessation than combusted products. Smoke-free products deliver nicotine without burning tobacco and, thus, release fewer or lower levels of HPHCs than cigarettes. Studies have shown that smokers who switch to smoke-free products achieve similar levels of nicotine exposure as when they smoked. For example, heated tobacco products or THS, emit a nicotine-containing aerosol and in clinical studies, smokers who switched from cigarettes to THS after adjusting to the new product were able to maintain similar levels of nicotine exposure as when they smoked cigarettes. However, they substantially reduced their exposure to the set of HPHCs within days of switching. In fact, they were able to achieve 95 per cent of the reduction in exposure than participants who abstained from smoking entirely achieved. Other smoke-free products, such as e-vapour products, snus, and nicotine pouches provide nicotine in an alternative way. E-vapour products vaporise a nicotine-containing e-liquid to produce an aerosol which is inhaled. Meanwhile, snus and nicotine pouches are small, porous pouches that contain nicotine – either through tobacco or a nicotine powder – that the users place in their mouth, between the upper lip and gums where the nicotine is absorbed. Because these products release significantly lower levels of HPHCs compared with cigarettes, they have the potential to reduce the risk of smoking-related disease associated with continued smoking. A wider choice of smoke-free products can help to maximize the probability that adult smokers who don't or cannot quit, can find an alternative suitable for them and their lifestyle, thereby maximizing the growing number of smokers who transition away from cigarettes and toward less harmful products. The ultimate goal of tobacco harm reduction is to accelerate the end of smoking and risky tobacco-related death and disease. In recent years, many countries where people can access safer nicotine products have seen accelerated declines in smoking rates. It is estimated that over 140 million people now use safer nicotine products, with most have quit or significantly reduced their use of risky tobacco. The event closed on a positive note with calls to forge new alliances and friendship with doctors and the media.
Daily Express
21-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Express
Chinese pharmacist who made e-cigs possible
Published on: Monday, July 21, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jul 21, 2025 By: David Thien Text Size: Hon Lik puffs on an electronic tobacco pipe. - AFP pic. WARSAW: Electronic cigarettes would not be around today had a Chinese pharmacist not decide to do something about his smoking habit back in 2001. Hon Lik who was using high-dose nicotine patches to stop smoking devised a system on a large console using food additives as solvents. Advertisement The challenge was managing to scale the mechanism down to a miniature size, suitable for a hand-held cigarette-sized device, and getting the right dose of nicotine while also getting the right odours from additives. A year earlier he developed the idea of using a piezoelectric ultrasound-emitting element to vaporise a pressurised jet of liquid containing nicotine diluted in a propylene glycol solution. Hon also proposed placing the liquid in a disposable plastic cartridge, which serves as a reservoir and mouthpiece. These inventions are the basis of the present-day electronic cigarettes which many wanting to kick the habit rely on. Hon patented his device in China and the first electronic cigarette was manufactured that same year in Beijing. The story of Hon Lik was documented at the 12th Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN 2025) at the Warsaw Presidential Hotel from June 19 to 21. Hon Lik accepted patronage of the Global Forum on Nicotine in 2015, which offers a platform for debate and information-sharing, while remaining focussed on the ultimate goal of tobacco harm reduction: accelerating the end of smoking-related death and disease. More than 8 million out of some 1.3 billion who still smoke die yearly. Scientific data show that the primary cause is high levels of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents or HPHCs in smoke formed during the combustion of tobacco. According to Dr Mark Tyndall, the author of 'Vaping – Behind the Smoke and Fears', there are more than one billion smokers globally and the vast majority would die prematurely from smoking-related diseases. 'What people don't know is that there is a cure: vaping. Vaping is a non-toxic way to deliver the nicotine that smokers need without the disease-producing byproducts of burning tobacco. 'Compared with cigarettes, any health risks associated with vaping are very small,' he told the 12th Global Forum on Nicotine 2025 where he launched his book. PMI's Scientific Engagement Manager Markus Stratman told Daily Express during a media engagement at PMI's state-of-the-art research and development centre, The Cube, that nicotine patches sold in pharmacies have limited success in curbing smoking. This is because smokers do not experience the necessary level of nicotine delivery to effectively address their cravings. Harm reduction is an evidence-based public health approach grounded in human rights. It consists of pragmatic policies, regulations and actions that reduce health risks to individuals and communities by, for example, providing access to safer forms of products or substances, or encouraging less risky behaviours. Harm reduction does not focus on the eradication of products or behaviours, recognising that prohibition often leads to unintended consequences. Evidence-based, it first emerged during the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis, successfully helping reduce transmission with advice on safer sex and interventions like needle exchange for people who use drugs. The Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN) has been held yearly since 2014. It is the only international conference to focus on the role of safer nicotine products in helping people switch from smoking combustible cigarettes. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
