The World Health Organisation – WHO is publishing three reports to inform countries on the current state of scientific knowledge, and regulatory and policy options available on novel tobacco products such as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS) and heated tobacco products (HTPs).
The publication of these briefs coincides with World No Tobacco Day 2020 on 31 May, and is particularly timely. This year’s theme is “protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from nicotine and tobacco use”, and it poses important questions on how the public health community can protect youth from novel products. The tobacco industry has identified young people as part of a fast-developing market to increase sales and recruit new users. Therefore, these products are relentlessly marketed to children and young people in a wide variety of ways.
In the ever-evolving debates around novel products, knowledge and regulation are the first steps towards a legislative framework for novel products that protects health and well-being. The 3 publications support countries by providing background information and key resources to inform their policy. “Heated tobacco products: a brief” and “Electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems: a brief” provide background information on these products, supplying policy-makers and public health advocates with available information on their contents and health effects, and WHO’s current position on their regulation. The publications also include country case studies on electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems regulation to share the range of regulatory practices found in Brazil, Canada, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom.
