According to a report from Tobaccoreporter, Colin Mendelsohn, a prominent Australian tobacco control expert, has recently announced his retirement in the magazine "Filter". Mendelsohn has been advocating for almost a decade to consider smoking as a strategy to reduce tobacco harm in Australia.
In his article, Mendelson expresses deep concern over what he describes as Australia's lamentable decline from being a global leader in tobacco control to its current status as a sluggish disaster.
He wrote: "While other Western democratic countries saw smoking as a significant opportunity for public health, successive governments in Australia have viewed it as a threat. The resulting prohibitive regulations have offset potential benefits and led to concerning and escalating unintended consequences.
In his professional career, Mendelson has endured severe criticism from anti-smoking groups.
He wrote, "My evidence-based advocacy, as well as the efforts of others, have been subjected to defamation, insult, and harassment. I have repeatedly faced false accusations of being funded by major tobacco companies, which have been disseminated through national print media and national broadcast channels.
Despite disappointment with Australia's choices regarding tobacco control policies and personal attacks, Mendersen remains optimistic about the ultimate success of reducing tobacco harm.
He wrote, "When I retire, I still hope that Australia can adopt a balanced, evidence-based approach to smoking. This will not be achieved quickly. The latest regulatory crackdown will need to go through its process and fail once again before the urgently needed reforms can be implemented.
Furthermore, we must surpass the echo chamber of Australian tobacco control ideology if we are to recognize smoking as a powerful ally in combating tobacco-related harm, rather than as a 'public health threat'.
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