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Putting Consumers First At GTNF

The Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (GTNF) hosted a consumer panel called "Putting Consumers First," moderated by Nancy Loucas, a public health policy expert and passionate advocate for tobacco harm reduction

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The Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (GTNF) hosted a consumer panel called "Putting Consumers First," moderated by Nancy Loucas, a public health policy expert and passionate advocate for tobacco harm reduction. GTFN took place in Seoul, South Korea from 19-21 September 2023.

The Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF) organisers say it is “the world’s leading annual conference discussing the future of the tobacco and nicotine industries.

“The GTNF is the global exchange for views and ideas between public health experts, government representatives, the industry, and investors.

“It was founded in Rio de Janeiro in 2008 to promote dialogue and shape the future together. Since then, it has travelled the world to accomplish the same.”

The panel aimed to promote transparency and consumer participation in discussions about tobacco control, which is in direct contrast with the World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings, which have been heavily criticised for their secrecy and lack of consumer involvement.

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) recently released a Shadow Report on the (NON)-Implementation of the FCTC Article 1 (d) on Harm Reduction Strategies. 

The Report emphasises the importance of consumer participation in policy making and highlights the benefits of tobacco harm reduction. It calls for a more compassionate, people-cantered, choice-focused, and rights-based approach to tobacco control.

Nancy Loucas, the founder, and executive coordinator for CAPHRA, has been urging COP delegations to include at least one consumer of safer nicotine products in their respective countries' FCTC delegations. She believes that the exclusion of consumer voices has contributed to misinformation, disinformation, and failures of tobacco control policy.

The GTNF's "Putting Consumers First" panel supported the call for greater consumer involvement in policy making, as outlined in CAPHRA's Shadow Report.

By providing a platform for open dialogue and consumer participation, GTNF aims to foster a more inclusive and transparent approach to tobacco control, in contrast to the FCTC COP meetings which should be exposed for its secrecy and lack of transparency,” Loucas said.

To access the full CAPHRA Shadow Report on the (NON)-Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 1 (d) on Harm Reduction Strategies, visit: CAPHRA Shadow Report - https://caphraorg.net/wp-content/pdf/FCTC_Shadow_Report.pdf

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Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV
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Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.

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