The World Health Organization (WHO) has called upon member nations of its global tobacco treaty to implement regulations or bans on the use of e-cigarettes and other emerging products of the tobacco industry, emphasizing the imperative for safeguarding public health.
The directive came during a virtual media briefing held on Tuesday by the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals, as part of preparations for the upcoming 10th Conference of Parties (COP10) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Panama.
Describing e-cigarettes as battery-powered devices that produce inhalable vapour from heating liquid, the WHO highlighted the evidence-based nature of its global tobacco treaty, underscoring the fundamental right to the highest attainable standard of health for all individuals.
Sabina Jacazzi, Treaty Officer for Legal Affairs at WHO FCTC, stressed that novel and emerging products of the tobacco industry, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs), are within the purview of the treaty. She emphasized that COP decisions have confirmed HTPs as tobacco products subject to regulation under the WHO FCTC.
“As per the latest scientific evidence and policy recommendations on these products, I strongly encourage reviewing the reports that will be considered at COP10, available online,” Jacazzi elucidated.
The event also featured insights from global experts, including Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa. Oluwafemi underscored a global decline in smoking rates but cautioned against new tactics employed by the tobacco industry to subvert regulatory efforts and mislead the public.
