Experts have called on responsible authorities to craft policies that focus on tobacco harm reduction amid rising implications of smoking.
Drug and substance use has taken prominence in the country, with an anti-drug use campaign having been launched by the Zimbabwe Republic Police in February.
Speaking during a cross border cafe on science and harm reduction with health journalists from across Africa recently, South African medical doctor and healthcare expert, Kgosi Letlape, said there was need to make informed policies on the issue of harm reduction in order to achieve better results and limit consequences that come with smoking harmful substances.
“We need to first ask questions around the subject and come up with meaningful conclusions and a better understanding of the subject of smoking and harm reduction,” he said.
“We want risk proportionate regulation and encourage people to follow a pathway from high risk to low risk. If need be, cigarettes must be banned.”
He said there was a need to engage the World Health Organisation in dealing with the issue of policies as it is the major influencer to health policies.
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Also speaking during the same event, Clive Bates, director of Action on Smoking and Health UK, said at present, public health efforts were not prohibitive enough to reduce harmful smoking practices.
“People smoke for nicotine but die from the tar,” Bates said.
“People are smoking as a nicotine-seeking behaviour and the demand for nicotine is very strong.
“They want nicotine whether we like it or not.”
Speaking of an alternative to smoking harmful substances, Bates said: “While e-cigarettes are not without health risks, they are likely to be far less harmful than combustible tobacco cigarettes.”
“Although it is not possible to precisely quantify the long-term health risks associated with e-cigarettes, the available data suggest that they are unlikely to exceed 5% of those associated with smoked tobacco products, and may well be substantially lower than this figure.”
Locally, the Zimbabwe National Association of People Who Use and Inject Drugs was recently formed to advocate for the rights and needs of people who use and inject drugs, provide support and resources as well as to push for harm reduction strategies.