Key points of SCOHRE’s submission
- SCOHRE, an International scientific Association of independent experts on Smoking Control & Harm Reduction, considers that the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) is a timely opportunity to strengthen public health policies through a more comprehensive, science-based approach. Smoking remains a leading cause of preventable disease and death, and despite the efforts, its burden continues to be substantial across many countries. This highlights the need to complement existing prevention and cessation strategies with policies that reflect evolving scientific understanding and real-world experience.
- SCOHRE supports a rational risk-benefit analysis focused on maximum reduction in the death and disease caused by cigarette smoking, including efforts to prevent smoking initiation, particularly among young people, which needs to remain an important public health priority. Effective regulation should include strict safeguards to limit access and address emerging challenges, such as online promotion and the influence of social media and influencers, which may increase exposure and uptake among adolescents. Prevention strategies should also be reinforced through education and health literacy initiatives targeting both young people and the wider population.
- Smoking cessation remains the most effective intervention to reduce smoking-related morbidity and mortality. However, both clinical experience and population-level data show that quitting smoking is often difficult, with many smokers experiencing repeated attempts and frequent relapse. Strengthening access to evidence-based cessation services, improving the training of healthcare professionals, and ensuring balanced and accurate information for smokers are essential components of effective policy.
- SCOHRE also emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the concept of harm reduction within a comprehensive approach to smoking control. International experience and scientific dialogue, including discussions held at SCOHRE’s recent 8th Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction (Athens, 2025), reflect increasing interest in integrating harm reduction principles alongside prevention and cessation. In this context, real-world observations from countries such as Sweden, where smoking prevalence has reached among the lowest levels in Europe, highlight the importance of considering population-level outcomes when assessing different policy approaches, alongside broader changes in tobacco use patterns, including increased use of alternative nicotine products among adult populations. Furthermore, the importance of evaluating relative risk, alongside absolute risk, is critical for supporting more proportionate and evidence-informed regulatory approaches.
- Ultimately, SCOHRE advocates for a balanced and evidence-based policy framework that integrates prevention, smoking cessation, education, protection of youth, and the evaluation of harm reduction and relative risk. Such an approach, based on science and informed by clinical expertise and international collaboration, is more likely to achieve meaningful and sustainable reductions in the burden of smoking-related disease.
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