British American Tobacco calls for tobacco harm reduction policy
Saturday, 31 May 2014 00:00
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On World No Tobacco Day 2014, British American Tobacco (BAT) is calling on the World Health Organisation (WHO) and governments around the world to adopt a policy of tobacco harm reduction as a more progressive approach to tobacco regulation.
BAT Director of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Kingsley Wheaton said, “We believe we can and should be a part of this debate and possible solutions, given our knowledge of consumers and our global reach. Tobacco harm reduction provides a progressive public health policy direction. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate on making this policy a global reality.”
BAT invests approximately £ 170 million per year in research and development which is enabling it to develop an expanding range of alternative tobacco and nicotine products including e-cigarette.
Wheaton continued, “For governments seeking to reduce tobacco use, we believe it’s time for new, more progressive approaches to be considered. One such solution is to offer adult smokers a choice of substantially less risky products such as e-cigarettes.
“This approach is what many refer to as ‘Tobacco Harm Reduction’. However, for this to work governments and the public health community need to embrace this concept and the products that support it. We hope the arguments being made by the scientific community, the industry and public health campaigners will demonstrate the need for policy makers to carefully consider the benefits of tobacco harm reduction and give it their full support.”
The WHO’s own estimates suggest there are now one billion smokers across the globe and by 2050 this number could increase to 2.2 billion.
