[WARSAW, 12 JUNE 2024] – A panel of experts convened in Warsaw today to discuss New Zealand’s progress in eliminating cigarette smoking, inspired by Sweden’s successful approach. The event was hosted by Quit Like Sweden, a platform that launched in Brazil earlier this year to promote tobacco harm reduction.
Quit Like Sweden brought together experts, academics, regulators, and politicians to examine how Sweden’s tobacco control strategies are being implemented in New Zealand and what lessons other countries can learn. Sweden’s widespread use of safer alternatives, such as snus and e-cigarettes, has significantly improved public health outcomes.
A new report presented by Professor Marewa Glover, a public health academic specialising in smoking cessation, highlighted New Zealand’s success in reducing smoking rates by half in just five years. This achievement is particularly notable among low-income groups, Māori (the indigenous people), and individuals with mental health conditions, thanks to the support for adult smokers to switch to vaping. In 2018, New Zealand’s smoking rates were 13.3%. In 2023, it’s now at 6.8%.
Suely Castro, the founder of Quit Like Sweden, said: “For decades, we’ve envisioned a world free from the deadly grip of cigarettes. That vision is becoming a reality in Sweden and New Zealand. Harm reduction is proving to be a critical tool in the fight against smoking. Sweden is on the verge of declaring itself ‘smoke-free,’ with less than 5% of its adult population smoking. New Zealand is also making significant strides in this direction. Other countries should take notice and follow suit.”
The panel included distinguished experts such as Dr. Anders Milton, former Chairman of the World Medical Association and Swedish Medical Association; Dr. Colin Mendelsohn, Founder and Chairman of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ATHRA); and science advocate Jessica Perkins. Consumer group representatives also participated, including Nancy Loucas, Co-Founder of the Aotearoa Vape Community Advocacy (AVCA) and Executive Coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA); Carissa Düring, Director of Considerate Pouchers Sweden; Dr. Janusz Krupa, President of the Institute of the Conscious Man (ICS); and Professor David Sweanor, President of the Advisory Committee of the Centre for Health Law, Policy, and Ethics at the University of Ottawa.
“It’s time for regulators, policymakers, academics, and experts to look to Sweden and New Zealand and implement similar measures. Traditional cessation and prevention strategies must be complemented by policies that encourage smokers to switch to safer alternatives,” Castro said.
“Without such measures, we will continue to see stagnant smoking statistics and wonder why change isn’t happening,” she added. “Sweden has made a smoke-free reality possible. The solutions for the rest of the world to achieve the same are within reach.”
