Harnessing Tobacco Harm Reduction
Robert Beaglehole, Ruth Bonita
Read Professor Beaglehole and Professor Bonita’s comment in The Lancet questioning the WHO’s scientific justification for their position that e-cigarettes and other novel nicotine products should be treated in the same way as tobacco products.
The authors believe this position overlooks a risk-proportionate approach.
They believe the WHO needs to provide positive leadership and technical support to countries as they consider the use of e-cigarettes and other nicotine delivery devices, including snus, pouches, and heated and smokeless tobacco.
WHO’s current approach to these lower risk products is to reward countries, such as India, for banning e-cigarettes; countries, primarily low-income and middle-income countries, now ban e-cigarettes.
