WATCH | Harm reduction minimises negative effects of smoking

“The future doesn’t begin...it erupts.”

These words appeared in one of the slides during Swedish futurologist and author Magnus Lindkvist’s presentation on “Disruptive innovation: shaping economies, shifting lives, forging futures” at tobacco company Philip Morris International’s (PMI) technovation event.

The event brought together various stakeholders, including scientists and research and development experts, to explore the science behind smoke-free products, such as vaping, nicotine patches and gum.

In August, the parliamentary health portfolio committee said it had completed public hearings on the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery System Control Bill, in which the government proposes, among other things, to ban the sale of single cigarettes and prohibit tabletop displays of tobacco products in shops.

Committee chairperson Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo said the bill was about “reduction of harm and not a complete ban on smoking”.

PMI’s director of scientific engagement in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Tomoko Iida, told the event that harm reduction is “about minimising the negative consequences associated with risky behaviours, such as smoking”.

The evidence is clear: not all tobacco and/or nicotine-containing products carry the same level of risk. Countries that have embraced this fact are seeing faster declines in smoking rates.

—  Buhle Binta

“Effective harm reduction requires reduced-risk products that are acceptable to current adult smokers,” she said. “It’s key for these innovations to be widely accessible and affordable to smokers everywhere. Tobacco harm reduction is not a theoretical concept but a pragmatic policy approach that is delivering results already.”

PMI made submissions on the bill, urging the adoption of a “forward-looking, science-based approach to tobacco regulation — one that empowers adult smokers to make better choices while ensuring strong protections against youth access”.

It further called for “differentiating between high-risk and lower-risk products; for smoke-free products to be regulated based on current scientific and empirical data to ensure access and awareness for adult smokers; support for adult smokers in switching to less harmful options; and the implementing of strict age restrictions and marketing controls to prevent youth access”.

PMI’s head of scientific engagement for sub-Saharan Africa, Buhle Binta, said: “The evidence is clear: not all tobacco and/or nicotine-containing products carry the same level of risk. Countries that have embraced this fact are seeing faster declines in smoking rates. South Africa can do the same if we act sensibly now.”

PMI’s vice-president for communications and engagements, Tommaso Di Giovanni, said at the event: “Public health needs innovative policies based on facts and not ideology to encourage smokers to switch and companies to invest in less harmful alternatives.”

One of the slides shown by the PMI team read: “If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you do smoke, quit. If you don’t quit, change [switch to smoke-free products].”

Asked about the bill, Christos Kiritsis, PMI’s vice-president for smoke-free products South and Southeast Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States, and Middle East and Africa regions, said the company’s mission is to design, develop and eventually commercialise products that will help the transition from combustible cigarettes to smoke-free products.

PMI CEO Jacek Olczak said cigarettes should never be the only option “in a world where smoke-free technology is available. Today, some smokers have access to better alternatives, while others are left without choices.

“The technology for a smoke-free future is here and ready for change, but real progress happens when innovation reaches people’s lives. Only by working together — regulators, scientists, civil society, and consumers — can we overcome barriers and create lasting change.”

Dr David Khayat, professor of oncology at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, France, said: “Nicotine is often wrongly associated with cancer because it was traditionally consumed through cigarettes. Nicotine itself is addictive but not a carcinogen, and this misunderstanding hampers public health efforts and harm reduction strategies. It’s time to send a clear message.”

Khayat said there was a need to repeatedly educate people and governments on the scientific evidence behind smoke-free products because they could save lives.

Quick Take:

The portfolio committee on health said 7,900 people attended public hearings on the bill between August 2023 and February.

The committee visited 27 municipalities across the country and received 1,113 oral submissions — 44.9% supported the bill, while 44.5% rejected it.

Sowetan