As Zambia joins the global community in marking World No Tobacco Day, an organisation called Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) has observed that safer alternatives are Zambia’s best hope of beating tobacco.
THR Zambia Spokesperson Rebecca Mwambuy said the country stands at a critical crossroads because the traditional approaches to tobacco control – awareness campaigns, high taxation, and public smoking bans – have undoubtedly brought important gains.
Ms Mwambuy, however, said despite decades of effort, smoking rates are still too high, and tobacco-related diseases continue to claim more than 7,000 lives in the country annually.
She stated that the harrowing toll becomes simply unacceptable when stakeholders acknowledge the proven fact: the most effective way to achieve a tobacco-free society is not to focus solely on prohibition, but to empower smokers to switch to safer, tobacco-free alternatives.
Ms Mwambuy added that the evidence is increasingly clear as countries such as Sweden, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand are seeing dramatic declines in smoking rates, not because they have eliminated nicotine but because they have embraced science-driven harm reduction.
She said such nations had recognized the power of alternatives like nicotine pouches, vaping devices, and heated products – which do not contain tobacco leaf, do not involve combustion, and are 95% less harmful than cigarettes – in helping adult smokers to quit their deadly smoking habit for good.
Ms Mwambuy noted that Sweden is on the verge of becoming the first officially “smoke-free” nation in the world when smoking rates fall below 5%.
She said their remarkable achievement is a direct result of public health policies that distinguish between the harms of smoking tobacco and the far lower risks of using smoke-free alternatives.
Ms Mwambuy advanced that in the UK, nearly three million smokers have used vapes to quit in the last five years, while New Zealand has managed to halve its smoking rates in just five years by supporting adult smokers to switch to vaping.
“The message is simple: not all nicotine products are created equal. Although nicotine can be addictive, cigarettes kill because they burn tobacco, producing thousands of toxic chemicals. In contrast, nicotine alternatives eliminate combustion and drastically reduce exposure to harmful substances. They do not contain tobacco and they do not cause cancer,” she said.
“If we are serious about saving lives, we must learn to differentiate between smoking tobacco and using safer alternatives. While all such products should be regulated to ensure standards and prevent underage use, smokers must be able to access vapes and pouches that pose far less risk than cigarettes and offer the best chance to quit their deadly habit,” she added.
Ms Mwambuy said in Zambia, where smoking rates remain high at 13% of the adult population, and cessation support is limited, the adoption of tobacco-free nicotine products could be transformative.
“But success depends on smart regulation. Rather than banning these alternatives or subjecting them to the same restrictions as cigarettes, we should focus on ensuring product safety, preventing youth access, and supporting adult smokers who want to quit,” she said.
Ms Mwambuy stressed that one crucial point that must not be ignored is the role of flavours.
“While critics often blame flavours for underage uptake, evidence shows that adult smokers are more likely to successfully switch and stay off cigarettes when a variety of flavour options are available. Flavours help make the transition from the harsh taste of tobacco to something more palatable – increasing the likelihood of sustained cessation,” she said.
The THR Zambia Spokesperson emphasised that the best way to protect the underage is not to ban flavours, but to enforce strict minimum age laws and keep all nicotine products out of the hands of the young.
She said responsible retail practices, education, and enforcement are the key tools to achieve this.
Ms Mwambuy urged embracing the future as the country marks World No Tobacco Day.
She said Zambia should follow the lead of countries that are beating smoking – not through denial, but through innovation and compassion.
“A tobacco-free Zambia is within reach, but only if we are willing to differentiate, regulate smartly, and put science before stigma,” she said.
Ms Mwambuy highlighted that Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) Zambia was established to share evidence-based information in support of safer alternatives to smoking.
She said the organization is committed to promoting innovative solutions for smoking cessation to reduce tobacco-related deaths in Zambia while remaining committed to and supporting tobacco control efforts in Africa.