By Patience Tawiah
Nkwanta South (O/ R) April 5, GNA -The Foundation for Consumer Freedom and Advancement (FCFA) and the Institute of Liberty, Policy, and Innovation (ILAPI) have encouraged regulatory agencies, tobacco controllers and public health institutions to embrace tobacco harm reduction as part of tobacco control strategies.
The statement issued by the Institute of Liberty and Policy Innovation (ILAPI) at a press conference, attended by journalists and editors, and an online webinar which featured experts in public health policy and consumer advocates enabled discussions on Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) strategies deployed across the 59 countries evaluated in the index titled “Effective Anti-smoking Policies Global Index.”
Mr Peter Bismark Kwofie, the Executive Director of the Institute of Liberty, and Policy Innovation in an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA) said, findings from the global index show that embracing tobacco harm reduction strategies using reduced risk alternatives, such as non-combustible, smokeless tobacco or nicotine products, is critical to prevent the majority of the harm associated with smoking.
“The most up-to-date scientific evidence indicates that reduced-risk alternative products are the most effective method to quit smoking and avoid most of the health harms associated with smoking. For many decades, we have been aware of the dangers of smoking.
We have known for a long time that it is the smoke from combustion, not nicotine, that is to blame. We also know that we can distribute nicotine in low-risk methods,” he said.
Mr Peter Kwofie added that countries such as the United Kingdom, Sweden, New Zealand, Japan, and Norway have successfully implemented THR approaches, and Ghana can learn from their policies and frameworks to tailor its policies on tobacco control to the unique needs of its population.
“As a consequence, Sweden has by far the lowest rates of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in the European Union.
Their smoking rates have declined at a level that they are on their way to officially becoming the first smoke-free country in the world and when Norway made these products more accessible, cigarette consumption dropped by half in ten years,” Mr Kwofie added.
For decades, Ghana has tried to curb smoking through packaging education and taxation with limited success.
Reductions in smoking prevalence had slowed, with modest annual declines, but a lot more could be achieved.
In response to the opportunities that can be provided through Tobacco Harm Reduction, Mr Peter Kwofie said the government of Ghana should establish a regulatory framework that enables and facilitate access to THR products, and support public education campaigns to raise awareness about the benefits of THR.
The rest, he added need to increase the availability of THR products across the country, establish Nicotine Replacement Therapy programmes, collaborate with the private sector stakeholders, and conduct research and monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of THR policies and frameworks.
He said the positive results of embracing tobacco harm reduction are reductions to smoking prevalence in Ghana could be accelerated through balanced policy and clear messaging to smokers.
GNA