March 22-28, 2021

• Media coverage on tobacco harm reduction is increasing globally.
• Vaping advocates are pushing for regulatory acceptance.
• Policy debates include raising age limits and nicotine caps.
• Health warnings for e-cigarettes are being discussed.
• Research shows potential mental health benefits from quitting smoking.
• Public opinion favors regulation and harm reduction strategies.

This report highlights the importance of media coverage in shaping public opinion and policy on tobacco harm reduction. Understanding these trends helps public health advocates and policymakers develop effective strategies to reduce smoking-related harm.

Media coverage influences public perception and policy decisions related to tobacco harm reduction and vaping. Staying informed helps promote healthier choices and supports regulations that protect public health.

Recent debates and policy proposals on vaping and nicotine regulation are crucial for shaping future tobacco control strategies. Informed policies can facilitate harm reduction and reduce smoking prevalence.

This explainer provides an overview of recent media coverage on tobacco harm reduction and vaping, based on available media and THR details. It summarizes key trends, debates, and policy developments affecting public health.

This analysis is based on e-monitoring of national and international newspapers, periodicals, and blogs. The objective is to keep a tab on media coverage of developments, activities, research studies, and policy decisions related to various aspects of tobacco control, with a focus on harm reduction and cessation.

During the week under review, 138 news items were monitored on the Internet-their majority (48) focusing on industry news, followed by policy issues (14), research studies and surveys (10), and others (52). Not a single tobacco control news from Pakistan and EMRO featured in the search.

Voices propagating endorsement of new tobacco harm reduction approaches-particularly vaping-are being heard across Europe, where policy makers are under pressure to recognize the benefits of vaping and its potential to massively reduce the harm of smoking. Earlier this month, the World Vapers' Alliance staged a peaceful demonstration at the European Parliament to highlight the importance of including vaping products in the EU's recently launched 'Beating Cancer' programme (vapingpost.com).

In the Asia-Pacific region, consumer groups have warned that a blanket ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) in low- and middle-income countries, as proposed by a Bloomberg-funded anti-tobacco NGO, will only inflame the smoking epidemic and result in higher death toll from smoking-related diseases. INNCO said the move to ban harm reduction products should be evaluated carefully (prnewswire.com). In the same region, vaping advocates have launched a Right2Switch petition that urges the World Health Organization (WHO) to end lies against innovative nicotine products (scoop.co.nz).

With reference to policymaking, lawmakers in Florida are working on an effort to regulate the sale of electronic cigarettes and raise the age to use tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21 (miami.cbslocal.com), while Canada has put forth a proposal to cap nicotine levels in vaping products at 20mg/ml (vapingdaily.com).

On the question of health warnings, an Indonesian medical expert has pointed out that health warnings on combustible cigarette packs should not be the same as those on the packaging of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, which have been shown to be 90-95 percent less harmful than combustible cigarettes (vapingpost.com). A review published online in the Cochrane Library affirms smoking cessation as being associated with improvement in mental health symptoms (consumer.healthday.com). A peer-reviewed study published in Toxicological Research & Application shows acute exposure of a 3D human bronchial tissue model to e-cigarette aerosol has minimal impact on gene expression compared to smoke from combustible cigarettes (scitechdaily.com).

New research suggests that politicians' knowledge about e-cigarettes and other novel tobacco products has a major effect on their perceptions of safety and risk. A survey of members of the European Parliament found that those who were knowledgeable about novel tobacco products were far more likely than those with no knowledge to consider them less risky than smoking (businesswire.com). A poll on 'Malaysian Insights and Perspectives on Vape,' reveals that up to 80% Malaysians want the government to regulate the vaping industry while 76% agree that the economy would benefit from regulations on vaping products (themalaysianreserve.com). Embracing vapes for harm reduction, an Australian Drug Law Reform Expert has pointed out that "most smokers are low income," and therefore safer nicotine alternatives should be priced relatively to their risks in order to encourage smokers to migrate to them (vapingpost.com).

According to analysts at Jefferies, there may be no smokers in many markets in 10 to 20 years as more countries adopt targets to end smoking and tobacco companies push smokers toward lower-risk products like vaping and oral nicotine (explica.co).