Quit For Good, a non-profit organization in the Philippines advocating for harm reduction, has praised the US government’s efforts to prevent youth nicotine consumption. However, they urged the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) to also focus on providing adult smokers with better alternatives to cigarettes.
Dr. Lorenzo Mata Jr., President of Quit for Good, made the statement in response to CTP Director Dr. Brian A. King’s speech at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF) in Seoul, South Korea. Dr. King revealed 11.5 percent of US adults still use combustible cigarettes, despite significant progress in reducing smoking.
“We know combustible smoking is responsible for the overwhelming burden of death and disease from tobacco,” said Dr. King. “There is also a financial benefit for us to continue to focus on reducing combustible use in the United States, which is why we are currently pushing forward hard on various product standards and other efforts to ensure that we are able to do that in a meaningful way.”
Dr. Mata noted that while the CTP acknowledges the dangers of combustible cigarettes, they are still imposing strict regulations on smoke-free alternatives that could lead to a positive impact on health and lower healthcare expenses.
“Science supports tobacco harm reduction, which can save smokers’ lives,” said Dr. Mata. “While the FDA has taken an independent policy from the World Health Organization which continues to demonize these innovative products, it is time for the US to make a significant stride against smoking by promoting, instead of restricting, these products as alternatives to cigarettes.”
Dr. King highlighted that the number of children using e-cigarettes in the US has decreased by half since 2019. He confirmed that the CTP has the authority to regulate products containing nicotine and is currently working on foundational rules.
“As we’ve announced, the intent is to focus on cigarettes and certain other combustibles, given the known risks related to those products,” said Dr. King.
Quit For Good commended the US government’s efforts to reduce smoking and urged CTP to promote smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes as a way of helping adult smokers.
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