29 May 2026
By Tempo
Tobacco control activists believe that public protection will not be effective as long as there are regulatory loopholes exploited by the industry.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted the theme “Unmasking Industry Manipulation: Fighting Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction” for World No Tobacco Day 2026. Public health activists in Southeast Asia believe the tobacco industry is increasingly aggressively using digital marketing and false “harm reduction” narratives to attract young people.
Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), said the concept of harm reduction should aim to protect public safety, not replace one form of harm with another. He noted that the tobacco industry is increasingly aggressively using digital marketing and false harm reduction narratives to attract young people.
” Harm reduction is truly about keeping people safe, not replacing one danger with another,” Dorotheo said in a media release published on Friday, May 29, 2026.
According to him, if tobacco companies truly wanted a smoke-free future, they should have stopped producing and selling cigarettes long ago. However, the industry is accused of hijacking the public health narrative to market new products that remain addictive and toxic.
“As if it were a ‘solution’ to the smoking problem they have created, this hypocrisy must stop. All tobacco products need to be eliminated as soon as possible,” said Dorotheo.
To commemorate this year’s World No Tobacco Day, SEATCA, along with several health organizations in Southeast Asia, launched a joint initiative to promote an endgame approach to all nicotine products. These products include conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products , and nicotine pouches .
The coalition involves several organizations, namely Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Philippines, ASH Thailand, Cambodia Movement for Health (CMH), HealthBridge Vietnam, HealthJustice Philippines, Indonesian Health Policy Space (RUKKI), and People’s Health Foundation (PHF) Myanmar.
SEATCA noted that eight ASEAN member countries currently maintain bans on the sale and import of e-cigarettes: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
However, these countries are still considered to be facing a wave of tobacco industry intervention, especially through aggressive cross-border digital marketing.
Tobacco control activists believe that public protection will be ineffective as long as regulatory loopholes remain, exploited by the industry to sell and promote nicotine products online.
Therefore, the coalition urges governments in the ASEAN region to begin implementing a nicotine endgame policy, a long-term strategy to end the circulation of all commercial nicotine products to protect the younger generation.
“History teaches us that legal doesn’t mean safe. Many products that were once commonly used, such as lead and elephant ivory, are now banned due to proven dangers. The same principle should apply to commercial nicotine products,” said Dr. U Than Sein of the People’s Health Foundation (PHF).
The coalition also highlighted the rapid proliferation of tobacco and nicotine products, which it believes are fueling a new addiction crisis among ASEAN youth. With their modern, technologically advanced packaging and extensive digital marketing, these products are said to be deliberately designed to create a new generation of nicotine addicts.
Through thousands of flavors, such as fruit and dessert, deemed appealing to young people, the industry is accused of creating physical dependency under the guise of “harm reduction.” This narrative is considered to threaten the decades-long tobacco control efforts in Southeast Asia.