Sweden Urges WHO to Focus on Smokeless Alternatives
In recent news, a recent research paper published by the Institute of Tobacco Studies in Sweden (ITS) has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to take note of Sweden's successful large-scale transition to smokeless alternative products in order to reduce global smoking-related deaths.
According to the paper, the best example comes from Sweden, where the male smoking rate is the lowest in the European Union, hence resulting in the lowest tobacco-related mortality rate.
The Swedish Tobacco Research Institute (ITS) recently published a paper highlighting its successful experiences in reducing global smoking-related mortality rates. The paper calls on the World Health Organization (WHO) to shift its focus towards smokeless alternatives. This paper has been published on Qeios and is available for download.
The principal investigator of this study is Dr. Lars M. Ramström, who has previously served as an expert for the World Health Organization and as the Secretary-General of international conferences on smoking and health issues.
According to the paper, "The WHO needs to employ all evidence-based strategies to reduce tobacco-related mortality." The paper also emphasizes that harm reduction is one of the three pillars of tobacco control measures and without it, the measures advocated by the WHO to reduce demand and supply will be ineffective.
In addition, this study also brings to the attention of the World Health Organization the experiences of countries like Sweden, Norway, Japan, and New Zealand. The study emphasizes that in Japan, a significant number of smokers have shifted towards heated tobacco products, resulting in a decline in smoking rates from approximately 20% in 2014 to 13% in 2019.
The paper ultimately urges the World Health Organization to base their tobacco policies on scientific evidence and to follow the example of Sweden.
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