MANILA, Philippines—Studies show that attempts to control or prohibit smoke-free nicotine products unintentionally encourage underground sales and protect the cigarette industry, experts said.
Speaking at a conference in Dubai, Dr. David Khayat of Pierre et Marie Curie University said measures such as taxation and warnings are no longer effective, adding that prohibitionist strategies have historically been inefficient.
“When you try to prohibit it, what's going to happen is mobs, mafia, illicit trade, and everything,” Khayat said. In Southeast Asia, for example, e-cigarette bans in Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam have not stopped illegal trade and black market activity.
Meanwhile, for Dr. Lorenzo Mata Jr., president of the Philippines-based advocacy organization Quit for Good, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) prohibition-focused approach has also failed to significantly reduce the number of smokers worldwide.
He said the global smoking population has remained at more than one billion people. According to the WHO, global tobacco use increased to 1.25 billion people in 2022, despite the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control having been in effect for nearly two decades.
“Smoking rates remain high, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where smokers are denied better alternatives to cigarettes due to the strategy promoted by the WHO. This also results in widespread smuggling and illicit trade,” Mata said.
Meanwhile, in African countries, the lack of adequate cessation programs, along with the persistence of illicit cigarette markets, poses a significant barrier to reducing smoking, said International Harm Reduction advocate and Vaping Saved My Life (VSML) co-founder Kurt Yeo. Some countries, such as the United States and New Zealand, have begun incorporating vaping products into smoking cessation strategies.
However, researchers warned that Asian countries considering stricter bans—including the Philippines—could face challenges in addressing tobacco use.
Dr. K. Michael Cummings, a researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina, said comparative findings from the United States, England, and Sweden showed that market-based access to lower-risk nicotine products has been associated with faster declines in cigarette consumption.
JP Solis, president of Science and Innovation Nicotine Advocacy Group or Sinag, noted a growing divide in global health policy, with the UK and New Zealand embracing vaping as a cessation tool while many Asian governments continue to enforce bans.
According to the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction report, tobacco use is responsible for around eight million deaths annually. The report also noted that tobacco consumption remains high in many low and middle-income countries.
It warned that heavy taxation and bans may blur the distinction between smoke-free alternatives and combustible cigarettes, potentially fueling a “misconception of harm” and discouraging smokers from switching to less harmful options.