World No Tobacco Day 2025: A Call to End Misconceptions on Nicotine

Every year on May 31st, the world marks World No Tobacco Day, a vital moment to reflect on the global battle against tobacco use and the millions of lives it continues to claim. In Africa, where smoking rates remain stubbornly high in many countries and policy responses often lag behind, this day is more than symbolic; it is a call to action.

Yet, amid the urgency to reduce smoking-related deaths, a troubling trend is emerging: the deliberate conflation of nicotine with tobacco harm. This critical misunderstanding threatens to cost countless African lives and undermine the continent’s ability to make meaningful progress in tobacco control.

The use of less harmful nicotine alternatives such as nicotine gum, patches, pouches, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products is a strategy gaining ground globally. These products, while not risk-free, eliminate combustion, which is responsible for the vast majority of smoking-related diseases. Leading public health bodies, including Public Health England and the Royal College of Physicians, have endorsed regulated nicotine products as significantly safer alternatives for adult smokers who cannot or will not quit.

However, in many African countries, the misconception that nicotine itself is the main cause of tobacco-related death persists. This narrative has been perpetuated by poorly informed health campaigns and sometimes even by institutions that should know better. The result? Harm reduction options are vilified, banned, or left unregulated, pushing smokers away from potentially life-saving alternatives and toward continued use of combustible tobacco.

The black market is filling the void left by regulatory inaction. In countries like Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, less harmful nicotine products such as vapes or nicotine pouches are either heavily restricted or exist in a legal gray zone. But demand remains high. This has led to a proliferation of unregulated products, often of dubious origin, quality, and safety.

Ironically, in the name of public health, governments are unwittingly endangering consumers by driving these products underground. Unregulated black-market products are not only a health risk but also fuel illicit trade networks, tax evasion, and youth access due to a lack of enforcement and age verification.

By contrast, regulation, not prohibition, is the key to protecting public health. Regulation ensures product quality, restricts access to minors, provides consumers with proper labeling, and enables governments to monitor and guide use through evidence-based policies.

Countries that have embraced harm reduction have seen remarkable declines in smoking rates. In the United Kingdom, where e-cigarettes are promoted as quitting tools, adult smoking prevalence has reached historic lows. Similarly, Sweden, where oral nicotine pouches and snus are widely used, now has the lowest smoking rate in the European Union, and among the lowest tobacco-related disease burdens globally.

These countries demonstrate a powerful truth: When smokers have access to safer alternatives, many will switch. Africa should not ignore this evidence.

On this World No Tobacco Day, African leaders and public health authorities must confront a stark choice. Will they continue down a path of abstinence-only tobacco policy, riddled with misinformation and missed opportunities? Or will they embrace a science-backed, pragmatic approach to harm reduction that recognizes the value of giving smokers safer choices?

Read Also: Tobacco Harm Reduction Can Save Lives In Africa

By Joseph Magero: Chair: Campaign for Safer Alternatives