Caribbean Regional Health Advocates Address Big Tobacco Targeting Youth with Innovations
June 6, 2024
Regional health advocates express concern over big tobacco companies targeting Caribbean youth with new smoking products. International Consultant emphasizes the need for comprehensive regulation to address evolving nicotine devices.
Young people in the Caribbean are being targeted by big tobacco companies, say regional health advocates who are planning a response.
They raised the alarm yesterday about the trend of the tobacco companies marketing new and emerging smoking products to youth in the region.
Sheryl Dennis Wright – International Consultant of Health Law and Regulation with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) noted that electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, hookahs, “snus”, and vapes are just a few of the nouveau products identified as being marketed to younger consumers in the diaspora.
“We cannot regulate blindly, we cannot regulate just keeping in mind tobacco. We have to regulate bearing in mind e-cigarettes based on the role, the connection and the nexus between the use of e-cigarettes, and regular cigarettes. It’s important to look at how we define a nicotine device. We don’t know what e-cigarettes will be called tomorrow therefore it is important that we cover it as broad as possible,” she added. (JRN)
