News Americas, PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, September 10, 2025: International health experts are urgently advising for immediate policy reform in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, insisting on the adoption of life-saving tobacco harm reduction strategies. They point to a proven global blueprint that has already empowered more than 150 million people to quit smoking.
Analysis from Smoke Free Sweden shows that more than 14 million lives can be saved globally by 2060 if governments act decisively to integrate tobacco harm reduction into traditional control methods. For the Caribbean, this depends on the speed with which governments can act. Adopting safer nicotine alternatives like vapes and oral pouches will prevent thousands of needless, premature deaths, but only if the correct policies are enacted now.
This urgent call to action is set against a backdrop of stubbornly high smoking rates, with nearly one in three men in Trinidad and Tobago and 11% of men in Barbados still dangerously addicted to cigarettes.
“Policymakers face a clear choice: lead a public health revolution or fail their citizens. The strategies to make smoking obsolete by making less hamrful alternatives accessible, affordable and acceptable are proven,” said Dr. Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden and a former secretary general of the World Medical Association. “Act now to save thousands of lives. ”
For example, in the United Kingdom, smoking rates fell by 41% as vaping became a popular alternative. Japan saw cigarette sales plummet by more than 40% following the introduction of heated tobacco products. Meanwhile, Sweden, which adopted safer alternatives decades ago, is on the verge of becoming officially ‘smoke-free’ and has the lowest rate of smoking-related death in the European Union.
“Let us use the evidence we have at hand. A constructive, evidence-based approach in the Caribbean will yield life-saving results. We are not just urging, but demanding that policymakers look at this global blueprint and act decisively. Hesitation will be measured in funerals,” Dr. Human added.
This demand for a science-backed policy shift comes just ahead of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control conference (COP11), where Caribbean delegations have a duty to champion public health innovation over outdated, ineffective and ideological dogma.
“For too long, the debate has been crippled by misinformation that ignores a fundamental truth: people smoke for the nicotine, but they die from the tar in combustibles,” said Dr. Human. “By denying smokers access to products that are up to 95% less harmful, governments are actively protecting the lethal cigarette trade. It is past time to put public health first and implement policies based on science, not fear.”
About Smoke Free Sweden:
Smoke Free Sweden is a movement which encourages other countries to follow the Swedish model when it comes to Tobacco Harm Reduction. Sweden’s smoke-free success can be attributed to its open attitude towards regulated alternative nicotine products.
For more information on Sweden’s successful approach to becoming a smoke-free nation, please visit www.smokefreesweden.org
