Global trends in the tobacco industry include firms increasingly shifting their focus towards research, development and providing less-risky alternatives to traditional smoking.
This, the firms say, is based on the scientific argument that products that do not combust in the traditional way that cigarettes do, but deliver the desired nicotine sensation, produce significantly fewer toxicants and, therefore, pose fewer health risks in comparison to combustible cigarettes.
The shift is founded on the Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) concept, which seeks to reduce the serious health risks posed by combustible cigarettes. This it strives to do by providing adult consumers with alternatives that will help them transition from smoking. These alternatives include e-cigarettes or vapes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products.
In countries such as Sweden, the United States and England, the role of these alternatives in reducing smoking rates has been acknowledged by various bodies, with some governments enacting laws to enable wider adult smoker access to these products.
A 2015 expert review by Public Health England concluded that e-cigarettes were 95 per cent less harmful to health than tobacco and have the potential to help smokers quit smoking.
Subsequently, in April, the UK Government announced that one million smokers would be encouraged to swap cigarettes for vapes under a ‘swap to stop’ scheme designed to improve the health of the nation and cut smoking rates.
Recently, the BBC reported that a hospital in Hull is handing out free vapes in an attempt to persuade staff and visitors to give up smoking as part of the initiative.
BAT Kenya is clear that the only way to avoid the health risks related with smoking is to not start smoking, or to quit
DOMESTIC SCENARIO
Closer home, companies like BAT Kenya are pioneering Tobacco Harm Reduction with the aim of delivering the same promise, albeit against a backdrop of resistance to the transition. In its Sustainability Report released in the last quarter of last year, BAT Kenya says the company is on a transformation journey, underpinned by its focus on reducing the health impact of its business.
“The BAT Group applies world-class science and research to provide adult smokers with alternative products that aim to reduce the health risks associated with conventional cigarette smoking,” the report says.
Tashanya Okola, head of external affairs for BAT Kenya and East and Southern Africa Markets, says alternatives are a last resort for those unable to quit.
“BAT Kenya is clear that the only way to avoid the health risks related with smoking is to not start smoking, or to quit,” she says.
“However, we encourage those who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically substantiated, reduced risk alternatives.
At its core, she says, THR is the recognition that, while the preferred goal is abstinence, this is not always achievable. Thus, helping smokers switch to less harmful alternatives may be a more pragmatic approach.
To facilitate this, BAT Kenya launched an oral nicotine product in the market in 2022. It sought to provide a reduced-risk alternative to adult smokers and nicotine consumers in Kenya.
Additionally, driven by the government’s commitment to enhancing the ease of doing business and fostering an attractive investment environment, BAT Kenya rolled out a Sh2.5 billion investment in a world-class factory at its Nairobi Industrial Area premises in 2020 for the manufacture of oral nicotine pouches.
While construction was completed in 2021, operationalisation of the factory awaits regulatory approval.
“This investment is testament to BAT Group’s commitment to sustained contribution to the manufacturing agenda and socioeconomic development of the country,” Okola said.
QUITTING SMOKING
The report further notes that an increasing number of progressive international scientific and public health communities have recognised that alternative nicotine products are likely to be less risky than smoking, and their availability could have the potential to help reduce smoking-related harm at a population level.
“Tobacco Harm Reduction has been recognised by various global organisations as a legitimate approach to reducing the health risks associated with smoking,” the report states.
“The United Kingdom Health Security Agency and Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (previously Public Health England) has recognised the use of e-cigarettes as likely to be at least 95 per cent less harmful than smoking.”
It says that in the UK, for example, vaping is credited with helping about 50,000 to 70,000 people stop smoking every year and is endorsed by the UK Department of Health and Social Care.
Additionally, the Royal College of Physicians has credited the use of nicotine pouches with reduced smoking rates in Sweden. Research by the Institute of Tobacco Studies shows that Sweden has the lowest rates of tobacco-related diseases in Europe.
BAT Kenya’s sustainability report further states that the Company is committed to contributing to the development and implementation of a regulation that enables adult consumers to opt for these alternatives to smoking, with the aim of gradually transitioning smokers fully to these alternatives.
“Regulation across the world is increasingly reflective of the value of THR, with regulators implementing progressive laws that acknowledge the benefit of reduced risk products and the role they can play in THR,” the report states.
Okola says Kenya’s progressive approach and position as a leader in the region means the government has a real chance to lead in reducing tobacco-related harm.
This it can do by enacting and implementing regulations that contribute to tobacco harm reduction in our country, she said. Critical to this is balanced, evidence-based regulatory frameworks, including ensuring safety and quality through global, regional, and local product standards.
While developments over the recent past have indicated that the process will not always be as straightforward, she said, the role of THR in meeting the government’s health-related objectives, as well as the evolving preferences of smokers, should be appreciated.
Further, fit-for-purpose regulation facilitates investment inflows into the country, which may otherwise be diverted to other jurisdictions, she said.
“BAT Kenya will continue to transparently contribute to dialogue and engage with relevant stakeholders to continue delivering shared value as part of our strategic focus and purpose to build a better tomorrow,” Okola said.
Note: Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking, THR products are not risk-free and are addictive