Why Choice is Critical for Adults Looking to Quit
For the millions of adult smokers across the Asia-Pacific region, deciding to quit cigarettes is often the most important health choice they will ever make. It is also one of the hardest. While some can quit cold turkey or with traditional nicotine replacement therapies, many cannot. For these individuals, the difference between continuing to smoke and successfully […]
The Missing Middle: How Balanced Regulation Can Help Smokers Switch
For decades, tobacco control has been framed as a choice between prohibition and aggressive restrictions on one side, and loosely regulated markets on the other. Neither extreme is delivering the fastest possible gains for public health. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) already defines tobacco control as including “harm reduction strategies.” That means […]
Why Quitting Nicotine and Quitting Smoking Are Not the Same Thing
The most significant breakthrough in reducing smoking-related disease will not come from a new medical treatment. It will come from a fundamental shift in how we approach cessation. For decades, public health messaging has conflated two distinct concepts. These are quitting smoking and quitting nicotine. Science tells us that while nicotine is addictive, it is not the […]
The Societal Benefits of Tobacco Harm Reduction – How THR Helps More Than Just Individual Smokers
Harm Reduction is a pragmatic public health strategy designed to minimise the harm associated with certain risky behaviours, without necessarily eliminating the behaviour itself. It serves as an alternative to outright prohibition and bans, recognising that some level of risk-taking is an ongoing feature of human society. In the context of tobacco, this is known as Tobacco […]
COP11 Reflections: Opportunities for THR in Asia Pacific
COP11 in Geneva concluded with a mix of clear progress and unanswered questions – particularly for Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR). While the global tobacco control community advanced discussions on environmental responsibility, funding models, and youth protection, outcomes related to adult smokers and access to lower-risk alternatives remain limited, especially for Asia Pacific. What COP11 Decided Environmental and Product Regulation Parties adopted […]
When Regulation Fails: How Poor Policy Costs Lives
Effective regulation can protect public health — but when policies ignore real-world consumer behaviour, the opposite occurs. Restrictions, blanket bans, and excessively punitive measures can unintentionally create conditions that increase tobacco-related harm. By limiting access to safer alternatives, policymakers risk undermining the very goals they are trying to achieve. Understanding this dynamic is essential for […]
What Was on the Agenda at COP11 – and Why It Matters for Tobacco Harm Reduction Efforts
More than 1400 delegates across government, international organisations and civil society gathered in Geneva last week to discuss accelerated action on tobacco control at the Eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The theme for this year’s COP11 was “20 years of change – uniting generations for a tobacco-free future”, […]
5 Myths Holding Back Public Health Progress
The goal of a smokeless future is within our grasp, but progress is being stalled by persistent myths about Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR). This pragmatic, science-backed approach helps adult smokers switch from combustible cigarettes to less harmful alternatives. However, its potential is being undermined by widespread misinformation. It’s time to cut through the noise. Here are five […]
From Sweden to Japan: How Proven Alternatives to Cigarettes Can Transform Public Health
Asia-Pacific is the world’s largest cigarette market by volume, and the market where tobacco harm reduction can have the largest real-world impact. Tobacco harm reduction is a public health strategy that aims to reduce the health risks associated with tobacco use. With more than 600 million people across the region classifying themselves as smokers, the […]
3 Things We Want to See Discussed at COP11
Tobacco use continues to affect millions of lives across Asia Pacific, which carries a disproportionate share of the global burden. For many adult smokers, quitting is not easy. Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) offers a science-based approach that reduces health risks by providing lower-risk alternatives without the hardships of total abstinence. COP11 is a critical moment […]