In the fight against smoking, some nations are rewriting the rules and winning. While others remain trapped in cycles of outdated policies and rising health burdens, countries like New Zealand have turned the tide by embracing innovative strategies that meet smokers where they are.
Cameroon now finds itself at a pivotal moment — will it hold fast to traditional tobacco control methods that have yielded limited progress, or will it take a bold step forward by adopting a harm reduction approach that’s transforming public health outcomes elsewhere? The contrasting journeys of New Zealand and South Africa, as detailed in the illuminating “Tale of Two Nations” report, offer Cameroon both a cautionary tale and a blueprint for meaningful change.
The stark contrast between New Zealand and South Africa’s approaches to tobacco control and their subsequent outcomes is nothing short of remarkable. New Zealand, with its proactive adoption of harm reduction strategies, has witnessed a dramatic decline in smoking rates, plummeting from 12.2% to a mere 6.8% in just five years. This achievement is a testament to their willingness to embrace innovation and acknowledge the potential of Reduced Risk Products (RRPs) to traditional cigarettes. By implementing sensible regulations around these new category products, New Zealand has empowered smokers to transition away from combustible tobacco, leading to significant public health gains.
Conversely, South Africa’s more restrictive regulatory environment has yielded a far less encouraging picture. Despite efforts to control smoking, its prevalence rate remains stubbornly high at 25.8%. Furthermore, the stringent regulations have inadvertently fueled a massive illicit cigarette trade, accounting for a staggering 59.7% of the market (as per the initial summary, though the detailed summary states 11.1%, the broader point of a significant illicit trade remains). This illicit market not only undermines public health efforts by making cheap and unregulated tobacco products readily available but also deprives the government of much-needed tax revenue.
The core difference lies in their respective approaches to harm reduction. New Zealand recognised that not all tobacco products are created equal and that providing adult smokers with safer alternatives, like vaping products, can be a crucial step in moving them away from the deadliest form of nicotine consumption – combustible cigarettes. This pragmatic approach acknowledges the reality of nicotine use and offers a pathway for smokers to reduce their risk significantly. For Cameroon, the lessons from this “Tale of Two Nations” are profound. Continuing down a path of outright prohibition or excessive restriction, as South Africa has experienced, risks mirroring their challenges: a persistent high smoking rate and a flourishing illicit trade that circumvents any regulatory control. Instead, Cameroon has an opportunity to learn from New Zealand’s success and embrace the science behind THR.
New category products, such as vaping products and oral nicotine pouches are not risk-free, but the scientific evidence indicates that they are significantly less harmful than traditional cigarettes. These products deliver nicotine without the combustion of tobacco; this is an important difference because combustion of tobacco is responsible for the vast majority of smoking-related diseases due to the thousands of harmful chemicals released in smoke. By providing adult smokers with access to these alternatives, Cameroon can offer them a viable pathway to reduce their harm exposure.
Sensitizing Cameroonian regulators to the potential of THR requires a commitment to evidence-based decision-making. Public health policies should be informed by scientific research and the lived experiences of countries like New Zealand. This involves:
- Acknowledging the continuum of risk: Recognising that different nicotine-containing products carry different levels of risk, with combustible cigarettes being the most harmful.
- Developing balanced regulations: Implementing regulations that ensure product safety and quality for new category products while making them accessible and appealing to adult smokers as alternatives to cigarettes. This includes age restrictions, product standards, and responsible marketing practices that target adult smokers, not youth.
- Investing in public health campaigns: Educating the public, including smokers and healthcare professionals, about the relative risks of different tobacco and nicotine products. These campaigns should clearly differentiate between combustible cigarettes and reduced risk products.
- Addressing the illicit trade proactively: By offering regulated and reduced risk products, Cameroon can make it less appealing for smokers to turn to the black market for their nicotine needs. Sensible taxation policies on safer alternatives can also generate revenue that can be reinvested in public health programmes.
The goal is not to encourage non-smokers, especially youth, to start using nicotine products. Robust regulations and enforcement are crucial to prevent underage access. However, for the millions of adult smokers in Cameroon, denying them access to potentially reduced risk products is a disservice to their health and well-being.
Cameroon has the opportunity to chart a new course in tobacco control, one that is informed by science, driven by pragmatism, and focused on reducing the public health burden caused by smoking. By embracing the principles of THR and thoughtfully regulating new category products, Cameroon can follow in New Zealand’s footsteps, offering its citizens a pathway to a healthier, smoke-free future. The “Tale of Two Nations” serves as a powerful reminder that bold, evidence-based policy decisions can indeed lead to remarkable public health outcomes. The time for Cameroon to act is now.
