Tawanda Karombo
Philip Morris International (PMI) said on Wednesday that South Africa’s new regulatory process for the tobacco industry could mark a turning point for the country’s harm reduction agenda, as government considers how to regulate new smokeless and alternative nicotine products.
The Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, currently under discussion in Parliament, has reignited debate about the future of tobacco regulation in South Africa.
Big tobacco companies — including PMI and British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) — recently made submissions to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health, calling for differentiation between combustible and smokeless tobacco products.
PMI has argued that treating all nicotine products the same would be a missed opportunity to reduce smoking-related diseases, while BATSA said the proper regulation of less harmful alternatives could help accelerate the country’s transition to a smoke-free South Africa.
Speaking to Business Report on Wednesday, Fred De Wilde, a senior executive at PMI, welcomed the public engagement and growing recognition of harm reduction in South Africa’s tobacco policy space.
“In South Africa is the debate is there that we need to regulate these alternative products because it was nonexistent previously. The debate has shifted and a parliamentary committee has been created with many people, including the industry, having a seat on the table to voice their opinion,” De Wilde said.
PMI views South Africa as a regional leader in regulatory reform and a potential hub for smokeless nicotine products on the continent.
De Wilde said the company is optimistic but cautious about the final shape of the new framework.
“Big progress has been done in South Africa. My hope is that all of these conversations will translate into a regulation that will make sense but that remains to be seen because the proof will be in the pudding when we see the end result,” explained De Wilde.
PMI is urging South Africa to consider scientific findings that show that smokeless products are helpful in harm reduction in its regulatory making process for the tobacco industry.
The company wants South African regulators to differentiate between traditional tobacco cigarettes and new smokeless alternates. This is opposed to other bodies such as the World Health Organisation say smoking is harmful, urging its use to be eliminated.
“I’m very hopeful that the committee will come with these conclusions and we’ll see very soon in South Africa a regulatory environment that would be in line with the commitment we have,” said De Wilde.
The uptake of smokeless nicotine products has been picking up in South African cities such as Cape Town is picking up.
“We do see some product adoptction in Cape Town. Some of these products like vapors are being adopted in Cape Town,” PMI recently told Business Report.
Philip Morris International has a target of having two thirds of its revenues coming from smoke free products by 2030, it believes “it’s important to expand the availability of the product while countries such as South Africa had to ensure that investment friendly conditions for the industry” are in place.
BUSINESS REPORT
