An international conference sheds light on the pressing need for regulation to protect public health.
In a virtual media briefing organized by the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals on the global tobacco treaty, the World Health Organization (WHO) called upon member nations to either ban or regulate the use of e-cigarettes and other novel products emerging from the tobacco industry.
The call comes ahead of the 10th Conference of Parties (COP10) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, scheduled in Panama.
E-cigarettes, defined by the National Institutes of Health as battery-powered devices that heat liquid into vapor for inhalation, are under scrutiny. The WHO’s global tobacco treaty, an evidence-based accord, upholds the fundamental right of all individuals to the highest standard of health.
Sabina Jacazzi, the Treaty Officer for Legal Affairs at WHO FCTC, emphasized during the briefing that novel and emerging products from the tobacco industry are categorized as tobacco products. She pointed out the COP’s past decisions on heated tobacco products and Electronic Nicotine and Non-nicotine delivery systems, stressing their inclusion under the WHO FCTC regulations.
“In light of the latest scientific evidence and policy recommendations on these products, I highly encourage reviewing the reports (by WHO and the Convention Secretariat) that will be deliberated at COP10, available online,” Jacazzi explained.
The event hosted global experts, including Akinbode Oluwafemi, the Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa. Oluwafemi acknowledged a global decline in smoking based on recent data but expressed apprehension about the tobacco industry’s adoption of new tactics to deceive government officials and mislead the public.
