Why regulation is safer than prohibition for youth protection
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CAPHRA’s position is that blanket bans are a blunt instrument that can create predictable downstream harms. Illicit markets tend to expand when legal pathways are removed, and those markets are less likely to comply with age restrictions, product standards, or marketing limits. When supply is pushed underground, governments often lose the ability to monitor nicotine strength, audit ingredients, trace distribution, and intervene quickly when problems emerge. In short, prohibition can reduce state control at the exact moment control is needed most.
By contrast, a regulated system gives authorities practical tools to maintain oversight. Regulators can set standards, require testing, license sellers, inspect outlets, sanction violations, and monitor distribution. That visibility matters for youth protection because it enables active enforcement, rather than relying on symbolic rules that are easy to evade.
Why this matters in South Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific
This policy choice is especially relevant in South Asia and across the Asia-Pacific, where the burden of tobacco-related harm remains severe and where smokeless tobacco use contributes substantially to preventable disease. In settings where smoked and smokeless products drive high rates of illness and death, public health priorities must focus on reducing the most harmful forms of use. CAPHRA’s view is that regulated adult access to lower-risk nicotine alternatives, combined with strict youth safeguards and continuous enforcement, can be a pragmatic lever within a broader tobacco control strategy.
CAPHRA emphasises that the public health rationale is strongest when governments pair regulated access with measurable safeguards: youth-focused marketing controls, enforceable product standards, controlled retail channels, and compliance monitoring that is routine, not occasional. Refusing regulated access in favor of blanket bans risks preserving a status quo of high harm and low visibility, while making markets harder to govern.
Key message for policymakers
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