Why Zambia’s Tobacco Control Bill Should Adopt Harm Reduction

Today, Zambia stands at a pivotal moment in tobacco regulation as a new tobacco control bill seeks to restrict the manufacture, distribution, marketing, sale, and use of electronic nicotine delivery systems, their refill containers, and nicotine pouches.

In a country where smoking rates remain high at 10.7% of the adult population and cessation support is limited, the adoption of tobacco-free nicotine products could be transformative. Despite decades of traditional tobacco control efforts, smoking rates are still too high, and tobacco-related illnesses continue to claim more than 3,800 lives in the country each year.

A decrease in smoking rates will depend on smart regulation. Rather than banning these alternatives or subjecting them to the same restrictions as cigarettes, policymakers’ focus should be on ensuring product safety, preventing youth access, and supporting adult smokers who want to quit.

Similarly, less harmful nicotine products have the potential to save smokers’ lives in Zambia, but a balanced regulatory framework must be created to ensure that they’re sold and marketed responsibly to adult smokers.

A good example for benchmarking is Sweden, which has taken the lead toward a smoke-free future by ensuring smoke-free products are accessible, acceptable, and affordable to adult smokers through evidence-based policymaking, accurate public health messaging, and proportionate taxation. By distinguishing between high- and low-risk nicotine products, Zambia, too, can create regulations that help smokers transition safely while preventing underage access.

Today, their legislators have a unique chance to lead the country in adopting a balanced approach to tobacco control. By incorporating safer nicotine alternatives into their public health strategies through the proposed Tobacco Control Bill 2025, they can save lives, lessen the burden of smoking-related diseases, and give people who smoke effective tools to quit.