Countries advised to support Harm Reduction initiatives as they are science-led
At the recently concluded 4th Harm Reduction Exchange in Nairobi, Kenya, The Harm Reduction Alliance of Ghana advised that aligning Harm Reduction policies with science is key in the quest to save lives, especially for people who are addicted to tobacco and cannot or do not wish to quit.
With science innovation already revolutionising Tobacco Harm Reduction, the Alliance believes regulation will promote the effectiveness of Harm Reduction products, making them more effective in protecting the smoking population that uses them.
However, Samuel Hanu, an expert from the Ghana Harm Reduction Alliance, noted that despite a substantial increase in the availability of Harm Reduction services since the global state of Harm Reduction report of 2022, substantial regional differences still exist.
Hanu said in the case of people who use drugs, stigmatisation and criminalisation remain significant issues of concern in many countries, impeding access to existing Harm Reduction services, and undermining the political and financial support needed to expand the required services.
He highlighted that at least 108 countries across the globe have included Harm Reduction strategies in national programs, but criminalisation and punitive responses to drug use remain dominant in many places.
In the case of Tobacco Harm Reduction, Hanu points out that embracing safer alternatives has allowed countries such as Sweden in Europe to take huge strides forward in the reduction of tobacco-smoking-related disease and mortality, a testament to science-led Harm Reduction being effective.
Hanu said that science has assisted in developing safer products, but in low or middle-income countries, balancing innovation with accessibility and consumer safety is still a challenge.
He explained that this is because such innovations need to be culturally appropriate and that this is where innovation itself is key in ensuring the development of products that can be culturally appropriate.
He said with challenges such as stigma, false public perceptions and regulatory hurdles, international collaboration and community-based innovations are key in promoting Harm Reduction.
Wilson Box, Director of the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network ZCLDN, said that highlighting the risks and dangers of combustion tobacco to communities is effective and pivotal to the success of Harm Reduction, as opposed to forcing people to quit smoking which will only drive them to smoke more.
Furthermore, Mr Box said that in Harm Reduction, you don’t have to force anyone to stop smoking but to embrace policies that will create a a conducive space for them to use safer alternatives.
Mr Box said the fundamental premise of Tobacco Harm Reduction is based on providing smokers with less harmful alternatives to combustion cigarettes including e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products among other products. He was however concerned that in many countries in Africa, the absence of robust regulatory frameworks has led to concerns about product quality and safety, as highlighted by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
For Mr Box, successfully integrating Harm Reduction approaches while maintaining effective tobacco control requires careful policy calibration and consideration of local contexts. He believes this is particularly relevant for African countries where traditional tobacco control measures may have to be adapted to accommodate Harm Reduction strategies.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :