Asia's smoking epidemic

Leading think tanks asked for policy makers in Asia to consider alternative nicotine products such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco products and snus.

This was the key message of the 2nd Asia Harm Reduction Forum held today at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel in Makati City, which gathered leading thinkers from the fields of science, technology, health, policy and consumer advocacy from across Asia and the Pacific.

Co-organized by the Harm Reduction Alliance of the Philippines and Yayasan Pemerhati Kesehatan Publik Indonesia (YPKP- Indonesian Public Health Observer Foundation), the regional forum builds on the success of the 1st Asia Harm Reduction Forum held in Jakarta, Indonesia last year.

Participants said that, despite strict public regulation, high taxes and extensive public awareness campaigns, smoking remains a major public health issue in Asia, with over half of the world's smokers living in the region.

The forum aims to educate society on harm reduction through better alternatives and to advocate for practical solutions that can contribute to the improvement of public health.

Its ultimate goal is the integration of harm reduction as a strategy by the legislature and the public, with the end-goal of a health care environment.

Rep. Anthony Bravo of Coop-NATTCO Party-list, a leading advocate of tobacco harmonization in the Philippines, delivered the keynote speech during the forum.

Panelists from Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, India and Sweden focused on identifying ways to regulate alternatives in the classroom. "Many Asian countries remain very vulnerable to nicotine replacement products. Regulators need to be aware of the fact that they are more likely to be able to solve the epidemic in Asia, and Ron Christian Sison.

Apart from the point of view of policy makers, AHRF 2018 also presents the latest scientific developments in the field of policy makers.

It noted that there is a growing body of health support, particularly the development of nicotine delivery systems.

Public Health England and the United States of America and the United States of America are among the authorities that have developed tobacco control policies.

The forum featured a powerhouse line-up of international speakers.

  Teacher. Dr. Marewa Glover shared the New Zealand Approach to Tobacco Harm Reduction.

Dr. Hiroya Kumamaru discussed about alternative tobacco products in Japan and their positive impact in the country of smoking and smoking. Dr. Kgosi Letlape. Teacher. Helen Redmond of the New York University – Silver School of Social Work, discussed vaping and vulnerable populations.

Sison said that the world today would have the largest number of smokers in the world, the public health benefit of tobacco. "The Asia Harm Reduction Forum provides a forum for scientists, health practitioners, academicians, policy observers, and Asia. We believe that this forum will be greatly enhanced by the availability of tobacco products, "he said.

"The 'quit or die' approach in Indonesia does not work for some smokers. Therefore, it is time to consider the 'quit or try' approach; that is, try alternative nicotine products, "said YPKP co-founder Dr. Drg. Amaliya. She said that it is a declining rate of nicotine replacement in the UK and Japan where alternative nicotine products are widely available.

Amaliya said that thanks to innovation and technology development, alternative nicotine products are now available to provide a satisfying and harmful option for smokers to get their nicotine fix without the harmful tar. "We need to actively inform them about the potential benefit of alternative nicotine products to public health," she said.

More than half of the world's smokers are in Asia.

In 2005, 49 percent of men and 14 percent of women in Japan smoked. In 10 years, the country's smoking rate decreased to 18.2 percent of the total population, according to the 2018 State of Smoking Survey.

The global survey revealed that the decline in Japan's smoking rate has accelerated in recent years.

The 2015 Global Adult Tobacco Survey showed that almost 1 in 4 (23.8 percent) Filipino adults were smokers.

The smoking rate among Filipino women (5.8 percent) is among the highest in Asean. The average age of smoking among Filipino daily smokers is 17.8 years. Indonesia currently has the world's highest smoking rate of 76.2% among males aged 15 and above.

According to the UK Tobacco Control Plan, around 3.2 million people in the UK are currently using e-cigarettes, with an estimated 40 percent of them using e-cigarettes as a stop smoking tool .