A representative from the Taxpayers Protection Alliance’s (TPA) Consumer Center has attributed the global increase in smoking rates to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) alleged “anti-scientific” position.
This stance, according to the TPA, has left smokers perplexed, making them more inclined to continue smoking rather than considering less harmful alternatives that do not involve burning tobacco.
Martin Cullip, an international fellow at TPA, expressed disappointment with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), particularly its emphasis on policies known as MPOWER. Cullip argued that these policies focus solely on restricting the supply and demand of tobacco products, neglecting other proven measures that help smokers quit.
Cullip criticized the WHO FCTC for allegedly disregarding scientific evidence and consumer rights in its pursuit of restrictive tobacco control measures, as the global body prepares for its 10th Conference of the Parties (COP) this year.
“While the WHO has had some success in the past, it is far from effective,” Cullip said. “Twenty years ago, when the FCTC treaty was first implemented, there were around 1 billion smokers worldwide, and this number is not changing meaningfully.”
Despite decades of the WHO’s restrictive tobacco control policies, Cullip claimed that most countries are not reducing smoking rates rapidly enough and will likely miss the WHO’s target to decrease smoking rates by 30 percent.
Cullip said the current approach, focusing on control and restrictions, has not delivered on its intended outcomes. “International treaties should have three main aims: grow global membership, encourage parties to implement measures consistent with the aims of the treaty, and measure outcomes as a result of its actions,” he said. “The WHO FCTC does the first two effectively, but not the third one at all.”
“It is the lack of regard for outcomes which has led to many, including former WHO health directors, to declare that its approach is ‘not fit for purpose’,” he added.
Cullip also criticized the WHO’s shift in focus from addressing the harms of tobacco smoke to combating nicotine itself. He said the WHO’s approach, targeting nicotine instead of combustible tobacco, is misguided, as nicotine, on its own, causes very little harm.
“It seems that reducing death and disease is not an objective for them,” he said. “Their approach has changed to an attack on nicotine, which on its own, causes very little harm, instead of combustible tobacco, which kills.”
He also raised concerns about the WHO’s alleged disregard for harm reduction strategies, which aim to minimize harm for individuals who won’t abstain from tobacco use. He claimed that the WHO consistently fails to respect Article 1(d) of the FCTC, which includes “harm reduction strategies” as a key pillar of tobacco control.
“Instead, the WHO promotes prohibition. Despite the abject failure of the war on drugs and any other prohibition in modern history, the WHO chooses to wage the war on nicotine. These recommendations distract countries from implementing measures that can improve the lives of their populations,” he said.
Cullip said the WHO’s process excludes public participation and disregards consumer rights, violating the spirit of the Ottawa Charter, which emphasizes individual control over health choices.
“It is well past time for the WHO FCTC process to listen to the public it is supposed to serve,” he said. “The evidence in favor of harm reduction is increasing, and the WHO cannot ignore stakeholders who are central to the debate forever.”
Cullip urged the WHO FCTC to embrace all approaches in its policy discussions, honestly assess evidence, and allow for greater public participation to develop effective tobacco control strategies. He also suggested that countries explore alternative methods beyond those dictated by the WHO to address their individual smoking challenges.
“Keeping doing more of the same and hoping for a different outcome is insanity. The number of smokers won’t go meaningfully down unless the WHO recognizes that a change is needed. Safer nicotine products are not the enemy, it is smoked tobacco,” he said.
