Tag Archive for: CAPHRA

Nicotine Prohibition Fuels Illicit Markets in Australia and Thailand

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has declared that nicotine prohibition in Australia and Thailand is actively fueling massive illicit markets. Rather than eliminating demand, strict bans have handed market control to organized crime, leaving consumers with fewer protections and fewer legal alternatives to smoking.

In Australia, where strict vaping restrictions are in place, authorities have seized over 20 million illegal vapes since January 2024. Alan Gorley of ALIVE Advocacy Australia criticized the policy, stating it has “expanded the illicit market, enriched criminal networks, and left consumers with fewer protections than before.”

Similarly, Thailand’s 11-year-old vape ban has yielded identical results. Asa Saligupta from ENDs Cigarette Smoke Thailand noted that the ban did not stop vaping, but instead made products unregulated, impossible to quality-control, and highly profitable for illegal sellers.

CAPHRA Executive Coordinator Nancy Loucas warned that prohibition weakens consumer safety across the Asia-Pacific region. The coalition argues that public health is better served through strict age limits, product standards, and regulated legal access rather than ideological bans.

CAPHRA: Families Benefit When Smokers Switch to Smoke-Free Vapes

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has highlighted a groundbreaking five-country survey revealing that transitioning from cigarettes to smoke-free nicotine alternatives significantly improves household well-being. Released ahead of World Vape Day, the findings shift the tobacco harm reduction debate from an individual struggle to a collective family success.

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CAPHRA Warns Southeast Asia: Avoid Australia’s Failed Vape Policies

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has issued a stark warning to Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, urging them not to replicate Australia’s restrictive nicotine policies. This warning comes as Southeast Asian nations weigh tougher anti-vaping crackdowns, which advocates argue could inadvertently drive consumers toward thriving black markets while leaving combustible cigarettes widely available.

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CAPHRA Warns: Don’t Ban Nicotine Over Illicit Vapes

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) warns governments against restricting legal nicotine vapes in response to the rise of illicit, drug-laced “zombie vapes.” They argue that conflating black market criminal activity with regulated harm reduction tools will only drive adult smokers back to deadly cigarettes.

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CAPHRA Slams Vaping Misinformation, Highlights Deadly Risks

CAPHRA exposes how anti-vaping propaganda endangers public health, urging a shift to evidence-based harm reduction strategies.

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) issued a stark warning. The organization stated that widespread misinformation about safer nicotine products, such as vapes, directly endangers millions of lives. This misinformation also severely undermines global public health initiatives.

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CAPHRA Urges Malaysia: Reject Vape Bans, Use Regulation

Advocates Criticize WHO, Cite Risks of Illicit Markets

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) is urging Malaysian authorities to reject calls for vape bans and instead implement risk-proportionate regulations under the new Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852). CAPHRA argues that outright bans are counterproductive and risk fueling illicit markets, similar to experiences in Bhutan and South Africa.

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