The European Parliament has become the first legislative body in the world to officially recognize tobacco harm reduction (THR) as a public health strategy when it ratified a special committee report calling for stronger EU action on how to beat cancer, with a provision on the role of e-cigarettes in cutting down smoking, reports Manila Bulletin.

On 16 February, MEPs voted 652 in favour, 15 against and 27 abstentions of the December 2021 report by Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) which introduced a THR perspective at the EU level for the first time. The THR perspective in the report is reflected in the provision that the committee “considers electronic cigarettes could allow some smokers to progressively quit smoking.”
The Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA) described the latest development as “a landmark declaration by the European Parliament, which should go a long way to reassuring smokers of the health benefits that a switch to vaping can bring.” Several scientific and health agencies, including Public Health England, affirmed results of peer-reviewed studies showing that vaping, or the use of e-cigarettes, is 95 per cent less harmful than smoking tobacco.
The parliament’s decision brings the EU a step closer to putting regulation in place that allows smokers to choose alternatives to smoking, according to IEVA. “We now encourage the other EU institutions—and in particular the European Commission—to take this on board and ensure that policy follows science, not the other way around,” said IEVA president Dustin Dahlmann.