WHO’s War on Nicotine — Still Missing the Point

How outdated thinking at the World Health Organisation is hurting public health instead of helping it.

The WHO’s latest report on tobacco use should be celebrating record-low smoking rates. Instead, it twists progress into panic by attacking safer nicotine alternatives like vaping and pouches. Even a former WHO Director now says the organisation has lost relevance by ignoring science and harm reduction.

A Familiar Story: Progress Twisted into Panic

The latest report from the World Health Organisation sounds like the same old story. They say smoking is down from 26.2% in 2010 to 19.5 in 2024, which is great news. But instead of celebrating one of the biggest health successes in modern history, the WHO turned it into another attack on vaping.

This is the problem. Instead of recognising that people are quitting deadly cigarettes, they are treating all nicotine use as the same thing. They keep repeating the line that “the epidemic is far from over” when in reality, smoking rates are at record lows in most countries. That is progress worth celebrating.

The Real Issue: Fear of Harm Reduction

WHO’s main concern seems to be that people are switching to e-cigarettes. They call it “a new wave of nicotine addiction” and claim it threatens decades of progress. But let’s be honest. If the real danger is smoke, then switching from burning tobacco to vaping is a clear step in the right direction. Nobody can seriously argue that vaping is as deadly as smoking.

The report even admits that 86 million adults are now vaping instead of smoking. That is not a problem — it is part of the solution. Most of these adults are former smokers who have finally found a way to quit. Yet the WHO frames this as a crisis. Instead of working with harm reduction tools, they keep using fear to push the same old bans and restrictions that never worked in the first place.

And now they are blaming vaping for “hooking kids on nicotine” without solid evidence. Of course, young people should not be using nicotine, but this kind of exaggerated messaging only causes panic. It makes it harder for adults to access safer options, and it distracts from the fact that millions of people are still dying every year from smoking.

The Bigger Picture — A Flawed Framework

This is exactly what I discussed in my Alive Advocacy Movement article, “The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC): A Flawed Approach to Global Tobacco Control.”

The WHO’s latest attack on nicotine is not new; it is the global arm of the same failed framework. The FCTC was meant to bring countries together to reduce smoking, but it has turned into a rigid ideology that punishes harm reduction and ignores success stories.

The treaty still assumes that total abstinence from all nicotine is the only acceptable goal. That is not realistic. Harm reduction is about saving lives now, not waiting for everyone to quit everything forever. The FCTC’s refusal to adapt to modern science is one reason global tobacco control has stalled.

Countries that follow a practical harm reduction path, such as Sweden, which uses snus, have achieved far better results. Yet these examples are ignored because they do not fit the WHO narrative. Sweden’s success demonstrates what happens when governments prioritise health over politics.

Even WHO’s Former Leaders Are Speaking Out

Dr Tikki Pang, a professor and former Director of Research Policy and Cooperation at the World Health Organisation, recently delivered a powerful keynote at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum in Brussels. His message was clear: the WHO has lost its way.

Pang said the WHO’s current position on harm reduction is like “a landslide blocking the road” to progress. He described it as ideological, evidence-selective, and even evidence-blind. After years of trying to change this mindset from within, he called the effort “frustrating and futile.”

He warned that “tobacco control” has shifted from reducing harm to eliminating tobacco entirely, no matter what the evidence says. Pang argued that the WHO’s refusal to work with the industry and innovators is hurting public health and weakening trust in global institutions.

Importantly, he urged the creation of independent platforms outside the WHO’s control where scientists, advocates, consumers, and media can work together to advance harm reduction. He also said that the WHO faces a “crisis of relevance and confidence,” pointing out that progress will only come through science-driven innovation and rational policy.

“Science has given us the tools to reduce harm from tobacco,” Pang said. “Reason dictates that we should use them.”

His words confirm what many have said for years: the WHO’s approach is outdated, unscientific, and politically motivated. When even its former leaders are calling for a detour around the organisation, it is clear that change is overdue.

The Data Doesn’t Lie

My FOI research has shown how governments selectively use or even manipulate data to keep control of the public message. When smoking rates rise or illegal tobacco booms after harsh bans, the data gets quietly “reframed.” The WHO’s new report does the same thing, redefining progress as a threat simply because the nicotine is delivered differently.

People are quitting smoking in record numbers, and many are doing it without government help. That should be celebrated, not demonised. By treating all nicotine use as equal, the WHO is discouraging millions from switching to safer alternatives.

The Path Forward

Public health should be about honesty, not ideology. Harm reduction saves lives, and pretending otherwise costs them. The WHO and FCTC must evolve or risk becoming irrelevant.

People do not need more bans, fear campaigns, or moral lectures. They need options that work, transparency about risk differences, and respect for personal choice.

If the WHO truly wants to end the smoking epidemic, it should stop waging war on nicotine and start supporting the real-world tools that help people quit deadly cigarettes for good.