On December 10, 1948, the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), declaring the month Universal Human Rights month. The theme for 2022 was “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All,” with a call to action to #StandUp4HumanRights. Unfortunately, for many suffering from tobacco addiction, their human right to harm reduction seems to have been lost amid that theme.
From seat belts to alternatives to smoking, harm reduction is the application of less harmful products and behaviors to limit the adverse effects of substances and everyday consumer goods. Harm Reduction International defines harm reduction as “grounded in justice and human rights. It focuses on positive change and working with people without judgment, coercion, (or) discrimination.”
Applying the principle to adults who smoke, tobacco harm reduction (THR) provides adults “who are unwilling or unable to quit … with less harmful nicotine products.”
Gerry Stimson, a prominent THR advocate, remarked that THR advocates “need to build alliances with those working in human rights, explore challenges under international, regional and national legislation, and establish tobacco harm reduction as fundamental to the right to health.”
A fundamental part of human rights and freedom is to live a life of dignity and have the right to health. For those who have been unable to quit smoking, their ability to live a healthy life is drastically reduced. While snus has helped reduce smoking-related diseases in Sweden and Norway, other European countries still ban this life-saving alternative to smoking. Vapor products have shown the capacity to help people stop smoking. Still, they are banned in countries such as India and Mexico. Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are not legal to sell in Canada.
The word “justice” is mentioned in the preamble of the UDHR, where it is deemed, along with freedom and peace, to be the foundation of human dignity and equal rights. “The need to pay attention to adults who smoke is particularly important from a social justice perspective,” pointed out 15 past presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. Human rights, as well as public health, need to be taken into consideration when determining public health policy.
The World Health Organization says that “human rights are embedded in the provisions and spirit of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).” The FCTC is a treaty claiming to be invested in reducing smoking rates and related diseases and healthcare costs. The FCTC recognizes harm reduction and is named the third pillar in the 2005 FCTC treatise.
Yet, FCTC is not a human rights treaty, and a human rights framework was not integrated into the FCTC. The lack of a human rights framework in the FCTC contributes to a heated global debate over the merits of THR products and their place in reducing the public health disparities caused by smoking combustible tobacco.
It took less than two years for the human rights declaration to be finalized at a unique time in global history. One historian pointed out that the “world was divided into Eastern and Western blocks, finding common ground on what should make the essence of the document proved to be a colossal task.”
And yet, the UDHR found common ground. Reduced-risk nicotine products have been on the market for decades, yet tobacco control experts remain divided on embracing a THR strategy.
The Dignity & Respect Campaign supported the recent theme and reminded people that one “of the most important things” we can do “is to find common ground with the people around us.”
It is incomprehensible why it is so hard to find common ground in helping adults quit smoking. The feud between proponents and opponents of tobacco harm reduction continues to be a dirty fight. While they squabble, people die daily from smoking, not just during Human Rights Month. Their right to health should be honored every day of the year.
It is time to end the internecine divide and welcome anyone to the table who wants to do something about the appalling statistic of someone dying globally every four seconds from smoking. To do less is a crime against humanity.
