‘Dirty ashtray’ award a devious misnomer
‘During the 9th COP meeting, the GATC publicly shamed Japan and the Philippines for regulating, rather than banning, novel tobacco products.’
In pushing for the cause of purportedly public health, some groups have been resorting to underhanded moves.
The Global Alliance on Tobacco Control, or GATC, a non-government tobacco control organization, has sparked controversy with its “Dirty Ashtray” award, which is now also given to individuals or countries promoting smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes.
Companies that have been pushing for alternatives to cigarettes said the award’s name is misleading, as these products don’t produce ash and may offer harm reduction potential for smokers who struggle to quit entirely.
This ignites a complex debate within the global tobacco control landscape, raising questions about the role of innovation, scientific evidence and individual choice.
GATC’s unwavering commitment to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s, or WHO-FCTC, “quit-or-die” approach has proven ineffective in preventing eight million annual deaths among smokers.
Despite their supposed expertise, the GATC seems incapable of distinguishing between smoke and nicotine and exhibits a reluctance to engage with scientific evidence regarding these innovative products, firmly adhering to preconceived notions.
Foreign intrusion
During the 9th COP meeting, the GATC publicly shamed Japan and the Philippines for regulating, rather than banning, novel tobacco products. The organization even rebuked former Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin for labeling vapes and e-cigarettes as “less harmful,” and audaciously released derogatory remarks aimed at Philippine officials.
Such disrespectful statements by the GATC infringe upon the sovereign rights of participating countries in the WHO FCTC dialogue, who are there to negotiate outcomes based on the best interests of their people. Besides, what is the GATC but a mere observer at the COP meeting.
Presenting the “dirty ashtray” tag to individuals or countries endorsing innovative smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes is indeed puzzling.
The very name of this satirical award is misaligned with the nature of these groundbreaking nicotine products, as they eliminate the need for ashtrays.
Smoke-free products, as the label implies, eschew burning and as such do not produce smoke and ash.
Why the GATC, a coalition of more than 300 organizations from 100 countries pushing tobacco control, chose “dirty ashtray” is something baffling.
However, it underscores the group’s apparent lack of understanding of evidence-based alternatives and their singular focus on traditional tobacco control methods.
The GATC consistently censures health advocates and consumer groups supporting less harmful alternatives, stigmatizes vaping and other cigarette substitutes and marginalizes over a billion smokers without providing viable alternatives.
This rigid mindset raises concerns about the potential attribution of the “Dirty Ashtray Award” to countries actively pursuing innovative approaches that result in significant reductions in smoking rates. Conversely, countries with stringent prohibitionist policies, such as incarcerating vapers, might receive the Orchid Awards.
This becomes especially relevant as delegates from 182 member countries of the WHO FCTC participate in the ongoing 10th Conference of the Parties in Panama City, focusing on “novel and emerging tobacco and nicotine products.”
The GATC’s persistent efforts to denigrate countries embracing tobacco harm reduction, a strategy involving less harmful products such as vapes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches as alternatives to combustible cigarettes, are evident. With the well-established link between air pollution and combustion, innovators have designed these products to circumvent combustion, significantly reducing their harm.
It is also ironic that the GATC targeted Japan, a country experiencing the most substantial decline in smoking rates with a third of its smokers adopting heated tobacco and other alternatives over the past decade, as the recipient of numerous “dirty ashtray” awards.
If all smokers were to quit or switch to less harmful alternatives, the world would get rid of dirty ashtrays. Ashtrays might even become obsolete.
This reflects the GATC’s resistance to innovation, sciencebased approach and harm reduction — the latter being an integral pillar of tobacco control. If any group deserves the “dirty ashtray” award, it is the WHO FCTC and its minion, the GATC, for their refusal to acknowledge Article 1(d) of the FCTC preamble, which explicitly mentions “harm reduction strategies” as a crucial aspect of tobacco control.
GATC appears poised to deploy its propaganda machine once more to discredit individuals holding differing views. In a previous instance, the NGO bestowed the “dirty ashtray” upon the Philippines for enacting a law that regulates smokefree products.
The Vape Law in the Philippines recognizes the necessity for less harmful alternatives for smokers, providing options beyond the most hazardous form of nicotine consumption — cigarette smoking. The GATC’s disparaging remarks seem to question the intelligence of Filipino legislators who endorsed the law, potentially constituting harassment against lawmakers and health advocates seeking better alternatives.
The GATC’s resistance to innovation, coupled with the WHO FCTC’s decade-long perpetuation of a quit-or-switch mentality, has contributed to the current count of over one billion smokers worldwide.
If all smokers were to quit or switch to less harmful alternatives, the world would get rid of dirty ashtrays. Ashtrays might even become obsolete.