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CAPHRA
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates
CAPHRA is an alliance between the Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates and their respective organisations in the region. We are unfunded and grassroots.
CAPHRA - Latest News [Page 1]
Media Amplifies Dubious Vaping Cancer Claims, CAPHRA Urges Scientific Integrity
Wednesday, 8 April 2026, 8:33 am | CAPHRA
CAPHRA said the issue is not whether vaping is harmless. It is not. The issue is whether health reporting is presenting relative risk accurately and giving audiences the scientific context they need to make informed decisions. More >>
NZ Risks Australia-Style Tobacco Crime Surge If Harm Reduction Is Ignored
Monday, 23 March 2026, 8:13 am | CAPHRA
CAPHRA says safer nicotine products are not risk-free, but they should be regulated according to their relative risk compared with cigarettes. More >>
CAPHRA Responds To PHANZ: New Zealand Should Regulate Oral Nicotine Products, Not Ban Safer Options For Adults
Monday, 16 March 2026, 8:25 am | CAPHRA
CAPHRA states that while oral nicotine products are not risk-free, adults who smoke deserve access to lower-risk alternatives that are regulated in proportion to their risk as compared with cigarettes. More >>
Shift To Educative Tobacco Harm Reduction: Key To Undercutting Australia's Illicit Trade
Monday, 16 February 2026, 9:05 am | CAPHRA
CAPHRA's recent submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee warns illicit trade booms under prohibition, urging regulated vaping markets to shrink crime – as in New Zealand and the Philippines. More >>
WHO Exit By The United States Forces FCTC Accountability: A Turning Point For Asia Pacific Policy
Monday, 9 February 2026, 1:08 pm | CAPHRA
CAPHRA says governments across the Asia Pacific now face a strategic choice about how international tobacco control frameworks should evolve. More >>
Australia Is Drowning While Looking Away From New Zealand's Lifeboat
Monday, 26 January 2026, 8:33 am | CAPHRA
Youth smoking in New Zealand now stands at 3.2 percent, down from 19.2 percent a decade ago. No arson. No gang turf wars. No innocent bystanders killed. More >>
CAPHRA Warns Australian Senate: Prohibition Has Failed, Regulation Is The Only Way Forward
Sunday, 18 January 2026, 5:55 pm | CAPHRA
The coalition pointed to New Zealand and the Philippines as successful comparators, where regulated vaping markets have coincided with significant smoking declines without the scale of criminal harm now evident in Australia. More >>
Asia-Pacific’s Anti-Vaping Stance Faces Global Scrutiny
Monday, 12 January 2026, 8:29 am | CAPHRA
A leading US harm reduction outlet has published a hardhitting oped by CAPHRA executive coordinator Nancy Loucas, putting global attention on Asia-Pacific’s tobacco control failures and New Zealand’s success with vapingled harm reduction. ... More >>
New Zealand Punished By WHO For Achieving Exactly What FCTC Treaty Mandated
Thursday, 18 December 2025, 8:16 am | CAPHRA
New Zealand's smoking rates are amongst the world's lowest. Youth vaping rates are declining. Smoking amongst Māori is plummeting. By every objective measure, the strategy is working. More >>
FCTC Principles Abandoned For Ideology
Monday, 1 December 2025, 10:20 am | CAPHRA
The chart of COP11 positions reveals stark divisions. New Zealand, Serbia, Albania, Guinea-Bissau, North Macedonia, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis demand transparency and inclusion. More >>
CAPHRA Calls Out Unfounded Accusations In FCTC Discussions
Wednesday, 26 November 2025, 1:56 pm | CAPHRA
CAPHRA Executive Coordinator Nancy Loucas said the debate has shifted away from science and respectful engagement. “The suggestion that any country or advocate who supports harm reduction must be aligned with industry is unacceptable." More >>
Smoking Plateau Demands New Tools For SmokeFree Success
Wednesday, 19 November 2025, 7:56 pm | CAPHRA
CAPHRA calls on the government to move quickly by easing restrictions and ensuring nicotine pouches are accessible and affordable. More >>
NGOs’ “Dirty Ashtray” Award To New Zealand Exposes Deep Hypocrisy In Global Tobacco Control
Wednesday, 19 November 2025, 6:23 pm | CAPHRA
New Zealand upholds some of the strictest tobacco controls anywhere. Cigarette prices approach NZ$50 per pack, plain packaging is mandated, and smoke free laws are extensive. More >>
FCTC Locks Out Voices As NZ Champions Safer Nicotine
Tuesday, 18 November 2025, 7:34 pm | CAPHRA
CAPHRA demands reform: ensure transparency and integrate harm reduction as endorsed within the treaty worldwide. More >>
CAPHRA Calls On Philippines To Champion Consumer Voices At WHO COP11
Monday, 10 November 2025, 1:01 pm | CAPHRA
The Department of Health has not yet responded publicly to the letter. CAPHRA stands ready to provide evidence, consumer testimonies, and regional insights to support the Philippines' COP11 delegation. More >>
Thailand's Fast-Tracked Vaping Crackdown Risks Public Health Amid National Mourning
Wednesday, 5 November 2025, 8:09 am | CAPHRA
Rushing through a total ban during national mourning demonstrates either disorganisation or deliberate predatory timing says Asa Saligupta, President of Ends Cigarette Smoking Thailand. More >>
Philippines Vape Ban: Government Throws The Baby Out With The Bathwater
Thursday, 16 October 2025, 3:49 pm | CAPHRA
The government's refusal to engage stakeholders and its contradictory measures must cease immediately. Filipino vapers deserve evidence-based regulation, not heavy-handed prohibition that reverses harm reduction progress. More >>
Excluding Consumers, Endangering Lives: WHO’s Tobacco Control Failure
Monday, 13 October 2025, 8:20 am | CAPHRA
Recent data exposes the failure of WHO's restrictive tobacco control framework across both regions. More >>
Banning Safer Nicotine Products Fuels Smoking Crisis In Asia Pacific, Experts Warn
Wednesday, 1 October 2025, 8:40 am | CAPHRA
While these bans are often implemented under the guise of public health protection, emerging evidence indicates they may be driving up cigarette consumption, particularly among youth and low-income groups. More >>
Expanding Access To Safer Alternatives Is Key To Reducing Global Smoking Deaths
Monday, 15 September 2025, 7:03 am | CAPHRA
Scientific consensus confirms that products such as e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco are significantly less harmful than smoking. More >>
