Quit Like Sweden urges SA to back harm reduction, amend Tobacco Bill

Source: Supplied. Quit Like Sweden founder and director, Suely Castro.

At an event hosted by Quit Like Sweden (QLS) in Cape Town, public health leaders, policymakers, and harm reduction advocates gathered to present a compelling alternative to traditional tobacco control: one that supports adult smokers in transitioning to safer alternatives.

Quit Like Sweden founder and director, Suely Castro, said: “For decades, we’ve relied on the same toolbox: bans, taxes, and restrictions. Yet in many countries, smoking rates have stalled.

Sweden took a different path—one that empowered smokers with options. The result? A smoking rate of just 5.3% and the lowest tobacco-related death rate in Europe. South Africa deserves the same success story.”

Sweden’s tobacco harm reduction model prioritises the accessibility, acceptability, and affordability of safer alternatives, such as nicotine pouches, snus, and e-cigarettes, while maintaining traditional cessation and prevention efforts. This pragmatic balance has led Sweden to become the first country globally to almost achieve official smoke-free status.

Similarly, New Zealand has halved its smoking prevalence in just five years by supporting vaping and alternative nicotine products as a pathway out of smoking, particularly among vulnerable groups.

Leading international expert Clive Bates, said: “There are two main lessons to take from international experience. First, it is possible to radically reduce smoking and disease by driving out cigarettes with low risk smoke free alternatives like snus, pouches, vapes or heated tobacco.

"Second, policies that try to stop these developments are prone to harmful unintended consequences such as more smoking, illicit trade or risky workarounds.”

QLS is calling on members of Parliament to ensure the Bill supports adult access to safer alternatives and includes a clear distinction between combustible tobacco and non-combustible nicotine products.

Suely Castro added: “We are not asking South Africa to blindly copy Sweden. But we are urging policymakers to seriously consider what’s working. Lives are on the line. And the evidence could not be clearer.”