Philip Morris advocates harm reduction strategies in South Africa's Tobacco Bill debate

Tawanda Karombo 

Philip Morris argued in Parliament this week that co-opting scientific approaches, as well as adopting harm reduction strategies within the contentious Tobacco Bill, could help South Africa reduce tobacco-related deaths.

The Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill is a proposed South African law that aims to strengthen public health by regulating the sale, advertising, and use of tobacco and electronic nicotine/non-nicotine delivery systems, such as vaping devices.

With over 11 million adult smokers in South Africa, the country risks falling behind in harm reduction and encouraging its younger population to quit smoking.

Philip Morris is one of the larger tobacco companies in South Africa calling for the separation of regulation for combustible cigarettes and newer smokeless products such as e-cigarettes and pouches, among others.

South Africa is in the process of coming up with updated regulation for the tobacco industry, with the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health currently hearing oral submissions on the Tobacco Bill.

In its presentation to the committee on Tuesday, Philip Morris emphasised that “treating all nicotine products the same risks missing a major opportunity to reduce smoking-related diseases and advance a smoke-free” future.

“The evidence is clear: not all tobacco and/or nicotine-containing products carry the same level of risk,” said Buhle Binta, Philip Morris’ head of scientific engagement for Sub-Saharan Africa, in an address to the committee.

“Countries that have embraced this fact are seeing faster declines in smoking rates. South Africa can do the same if we act sensibly now.”

The company reckons that South Africa should adopt a tobacco harm reduction strategy that leverages smoke-free products, complementing instead of replacing tobacco control strategies.

The Bill has been topical in South Africa over the past few months, with the tobacco industry - which was involved in the making of the provisions through the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) - opposed to many statutes.

The local tobacco industry is calling for a regulatory framework that differentiates between high-risk and lower-risk products and wants smoke-free tobacco products to be regulated based on current scientific and empirical data to ensure access and awareness for adult smokers.

Other bodies such as the World Health Organisation say smoking is harmful, urging its use to be eliminated.

Nonetheless, Philip Morris SA says that if the Bill is passed into law in its current format that does not recognise the scientific differences between combustible cigarettes and smoke-free alternatives, South Africa “risks missing an opportunity to significantly reduce smoking-related” diseases.

Themba Mathebula, Philip Morris SA’s director for external affairs in Southern Africa, explained that tobacco industry “regulation can and should be balanced and inclusive in order to be effective, protecting young people from tobacco and nicotine” use, while also “giving adult smokers the tools and information” they need.

Some health experts and scientists argue that heated tobacco products expose users to significantly fewer harmful chemicals as opposed to combustible cigarettes.

Speaking at the Wellness Collective in Johannesburg last week, Dr Vivian Manyeki, a public health physician and epidemiologist at Kenyatta National Hospital, said that although the Tobacco Bill addresses gaps in youth access control and advertising, it risks placing combustible cigarettes and significantly less harmful nicotine products under the same strict regulations.

“The adoption of tobacco harm reduction policies is lacking on the African continent when compared to high-income regions like the UK, New Zealand, and parts of Europe. Policymakers often choose to ban innovative concepts instead of exploring them because they are reluctant of industry influence or unintended consequences,” said Manyeki.

British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) also reckons that proper regulation of less harmful tobacco products can help accelerate the transition to a smoke-free South Africa.

Johny Moloto, the head of corporate and regulatory affairs at rival tobacco manufacturer, BATSA said recently that the tobacco bill being pushed by South Africa was adopting an “almost prohibitive approach” as it is punitive than being an enabling policy.

“We hear that it will be self enforcing (but) there's no enforcement instrument in that view.They want to put as part of that proposal, a ministerial Commission... if you give so much power to ministerial overreaching, the consequences could be very dire,” he said.

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