EU Health Ministers Have a Chance to Implement Science-Based Tobacco Harm Reduction Strategies

As EU health ministers gather in Brussels for a two-day meeting, they have the opportunity to embrace science-based tobacco harm reduction strategies. Consumer representatives and advocates urge them to prioritize safer and less harmful alternatives to smoking, such as vaping or pouches, in order to reduce harm and aid in smoking cessation.

Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers Alliance, emphasized the importance of this meeting in steering the EU towards a smoke-free future. He pointed to Sweden as a leading example of a country on track to becoming the first smoke-free nation by prioritizing safer and less harmful alternatives to smoking. Landl urged EU health ministers to take inspiration from Sweden and implement sensible regulations to achieve similar success.

Despite the overwhelming evidence supporting the role of safer nicotine alternatives such as vaping or pouches in reducing harm and aiding in smoking cessation, Landl noted that the EU Commission has been unresponsive to scientific data on tobacco policies. He underscored the importance of EU health ministers seizing this critical opportunity to advocate for regulations that could save hundreds of thousands of lives annually by curbing smoking-related deaths.

The Beating Cancer Plan recognizes the potential of vaping in helping smokers quit, highlighting the need for politicians to align policies with this acknowledgment. The call for sensible regulations to support harm reduction strategies is seen as a crucial step towards reducing the prevalence of smoking and improving public health across Europe.