On the 2nd of November 2021, the Vapour Products Association of South Africa (VPASA) organized a Diginar (digital seminar) with an unequivocal title: WHO’s (World Health Organization) Dictatorial Tobacco Control Policies Ahead of COP-9. The ninth session of Conference of the Parties (COP 9) is being held from November 8th to 13, 2021. The Framework...
The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COP 26, has dominated international discourse in recent months, creating space for governments worldwide to promise action that will hopefully limit the impacts of climate change. However, another COP event is taking place at the same time. COP 9 — the ninth session of the conference...
As the nation staggers through the pandemic, most remain oblivious to the epidemics that plagued Americans' health before Covid-19 struck -- and will continue to do so long after it subsides. The opioid crisis, obesity and the continuing toll from tobacco use are all critical public health threats. Of these, reducing the persistent use of...
Farmers organizations appealed to the Philippine government to ensure they are given proper representation and their legitimate concerns are not ignored in the forthcoming conference on the global treaty on tobacco control beginning Nov. 8 to be held under the auspices of the World Health Organization. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is the country’s...
On October 18, 100 tobacco control experts called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to accept the reality of safer nicotine alternatives. The letter, which harshly criticizes the WHO for its hostile stance against tobacco harm reduction (THR), arrives ahead of a gathering of the 182 countries that belong to the health agency’s Framework Convention on Tobacco...
“Sweden has the lowest smoking rates and the lowest rate of smoking-related deaths in Europe. When are we going to learn from them?” These were the sentiments echoed by Dr. Kgosi Letlape, head of the Africa Medical Association. Dr. Letlape has hailed snus for its ability to help cut smoking rates across Scandinavia. He also expressed frustration at...
Although tobacco use is a major public health problem, tobacco products are one of the few openly available commercial products that are virtually unregulated in some countries. They are also the only legally available products that kill up to half of its regular users when consumed as recommended by manufacturers of these products. The WHO Framework...
Several shocking new reports, released by tobacco industry watchdog STOP and covering whistleblower accounts and leaked industry documents, have laid out the latest damning evidence of the tobacco industry’s relentless campaign of dirty dealings in Africa. Tobacco giant British American Tobacco (BAT) apparently ran a mass surveillance operation to spy on its rivals, as well as doling out...
Once upon a time, menthol cigarettes were regularly (but falsely) marketed by its makers as a less harsh and less harmful alternative to “normal” cigarettes. Menthol is a compound that has a minty cooling effect when added to cigarettes. It also has the additional advantage of blocking pain receptors in the mouth and throat. Instead of being...
Ghana is set to complete its ratification of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, an international treaty under the aegis of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The move is a landmark step for a country where one in five cigarettes are sold illegally and an encouraging one, given the deleterious effects that the...
