Carta de expertos dirigida a la OMS en ocasión de la octava Reunión de las Partes COP8 (i.e. países signatorios del Convenio Marco de Control de Tabaco) a celebrarse en Ginebra, Suiza, del 1 al 6 de octubre. Documento en inglés AQUI [https://clivebates.com/documents/WHOCOP8LetterSeptember2018.pdf]. Los expertos signatorios critican a la OMS por su tendencia a recomendar regulación excesivamente restrictiva y prohibiciones. Apelan a la OMS a sdoptar ina regulación proporcionada a los riesgos de los diversos productos de entrega de nicotina (con lo cual Pro-Vapeo México concuerda). A continuación proporcionamos un resumen de la carta:
Dear Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus
We are writing to you in advance of the 8th Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP-8) 1-6 October 2018.
We are increasingly concerned that WHO and the Convention Secretariat are promoting a hostile prohibitionist approach to products that are much less risky than smoking – including e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and modern smokeless tobacco. We see this as an unjustifiable protection of the cigarette trade from products that can help people to quit smoking. It is an unethical and unscientific approach to disruptive pro-health innovations that have the potential to end the epidemic of smoking-related disease and will help to meet the SDG goals to reduce non-communicable disease by 2030.
It is an area where WHO should be leading, not opposing progress. We hope you will use your influence to prompt a rethink in WHO so that the organisation embraces a harm-reduction strategy and promotes risk-proportionate regulation of these products to put this into practice.
We wish to point out that our interest is in public health, we have no competing interests with respect to tobacco, e-cigarette or pharmaceutical industries and confirm that no issues arise with respect to FCTC Article 5.3.
We will be sharing this letter with interested parties in the run-up to COP-8. We would welcome your response to the points made in the letter.
Yours sincerely
Professor David B. Abrams PhD
Department of Social and Behavioral Science
NYU College of Global Public Health
New York University.
United States
Clive D. Bates MSc
Director, Counterfactual
Former Director, Action on Smoking and Health (UK)
London,
United Kingdom
Professor Raymond S. Niaura PhD
Department of Social and Behavioral Science
NYU College of Global Public Health
New York University.
United States
David T. Sweanor JD
Adjunct Professor of Law
Chair of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics
University of Ottawa, Canada