Accra: The Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development - Ghana (VAST-Ghana), a public health-focused civil society group, has rejected the Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) strategies promoted by the tobacco industry and its allied groups, describing them as misleading.
According to Ghana News Agency, VAST-Ghana claims that these strategies have recently fuelled the rise of e-cigarette and vaping products, which contain nicotine and other chemicals. These products have contributed to the influx of illicit tobacco products on the Ghanaian market due to misleading narratives around their safety.
VAST-Ghana stated that the Tobacco Harm Reduction strategies contradict the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) measures, which aim to reduce or prevent harm caused by tobacco and nicotine.
A statement issued by Mr. Labram M. Musah, Executive Director of VAST-Ghana and the National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance, emphasized that VAST-Ghana and other key stakeholders reject the persistent promotion of tobacco use by industry-allied groups masquerading as independent think-tanks and policy innovators.
The statement contended that if nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products are genuinely therapeutic or safer alternatives, they should undergo rigorous clinical trials, be classified as pharmaceutical interventions, and be dispensed strictly through medical prescriptions at health facilities. However, these products are aggressively marketed in convenience stores, gas stations, and online platforms frequented by adolescents.
This marketing strategy contradicts Ghana's obligations under FCTC Article 13 and the Ghana Public Health Act, which calls for a comprehensive ban on all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship.
The statement highlighted that public health interventions must be evidence-based, unlike harm reduction tobacco products introduced without adequate long-term studies on their cumulative health effects. These products are not medicines but are intentionally engineered to sustain addiction and market control.
The WHO has repeatedly warned against adopting e-cigarettes and similar products as public health strategies. In its 2023 Call to Action on Electronic Cigarettes, the WHO emphasized the harmful nature of these products and their potential to undermine progress in tobacco control.
In Ghana, the Food and Drugs Authority has enforced a complete ban on the sale, advertisement, and recreational use of e-cigarettes, classifying them as illegal while regulating traditional cigarettes under the Public Health Act, 2012, to protect public health.
The statement suggested that fully implementing WHO FCTC provisions, including higher excise taxes, graphic health warnings, and complete bans on tobacco advertising, would negate the need for a harm reduction narrative.
The tobacco industry's shift from combustible cigarettes to nicotine-based products like e-cigarettes is a deliberate strategy to sustain addiction and ensure ongoing profits, according to VAST-Ghana. Genuine concern for saving lives would involve championing taxation increases, plain packaging, and cessation programs instead of lobbying for deregulation.
VAST-Ghana urged Parliament and regulatory authorities to reject policy suggestions normalizing nicotine consumption outside strict medical contexts. The statement commended the Ministry of Health, the Food Drugs Authority, and civil society organizations, particularly VAST-Ghana, for resisting industry lobbying to legalize products that threaten public health.
The statement concluded by warning against the tobacco industry's tactic framed as 'harm reduction,' which aims to derail tobacco control progress, and stressed that Ghana's health should not be compromised for deceptive innovations.
