Today, CoEHAR members sent a two-page letter to reply to the public consultation of the ZA Government, showing CoEHAR findings and inviting the government to avoid the perverse consequences of prohibitions and use risk-proportionate regulation instead
The Government of South Africa launched a public consultation on the draft of its Tobacco and Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Control Bill: CoEHAR members read with interest the proposed draft bill and appreciated the key contributions this Bill will make in relation to the contrast of tobacco smoking. However, researchers raised concernes that the current draft will restrict less risky options for people who would benefit from using these products to quit smoking.
As we read in the text: “The primary goal of the South Africa tobacco policy should be to prevent and control tobacco- related excess mortality and morbidity. In practice, this means reducing smoking as deeply and rapidly as possible. Tobacco harm reduction provides a fast-acting, market-based strategy for reducing smoking and eliminating most smoking-related risks. The regulation of combustion- smoke-tar-free products should always be considered as part of a regulatory system that covers all the nicotine delivery products. The aim should be to encourage the migration from high-risk to low-risk products and support positive behavior change. Regulators should take great care to avoid the perverse consequences of prohibitions and use risk-proportionate regulation instead“
Here the full text of the letter
