Adopt harm reduction as ‘critical strategy’, NNA tells tobacco control review

The New Nicotine Alliance (NNA) has suggested a comprehensive set of proposals to the independent review into smoking, setting out why tobacco harm reduction should be adopted as a critical strategy for future tobacco policy.

The review led by Javed Khan is tasked with providing “independent, evidence-based advice that will inform the government’s approach to tackling the stark health disparities associated with tobacco use” and is expected to report back in April.

At the beginning of February, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid announced an independent review into tobacco control policies in order to achieve the government’s target of making England smoke free by 2030.

Khan has appealed on Twitter for suggestions as to how the smokefree target can be reached on the hashtag #IndependentSmokingReview. According to Sajid Javid’s announcement, Khan’s report will help the government to decide “the most impactful interventions to reduce the uptake of smoking and to support smoking cessation”.

Accordingly, the NNA has this week written to Khan with the proposals, stating that adoption of tobacco harm reduction is the only realistic approach if the Smokefree 2030 goal is to be achieved.

NNA said: “We have also encouraged consumers on social media to respond to Mr Khan’s call for evidence by sharing their experience of how reduced risk products worked for them and how making a range of low-risk products widely available could help smokers in the future, and we continue to ask that you do so either by engaging on Twitter or by sending your thoughts to the email provided, [email protected].”