Thread by @KnowNicotine

If progressive leaders around the world want to repair past wrongs, they can start by listening better.

After decades of raising cigarette taxes, plain packaging, & shaming, smoking still causes half of all deaths for Indigenous Australians over 45.

theguardian.com/australia-news…

https://twitter.com/OhmageA/status/1367376264328212480

For those of us who may not be familiar with the history of Indigenous Australians, here's a summary:

australianstogether.org.au/discover/austr…

For many, you know how serious it is that Indigenous Australians are being ignored & dying early from harmful government policies.

In 2013, @theMJA concluded a study about smoking & Indigenous Australian moms with: "there is an urgent need for rigorous studies to test innovative approaches."

mja.com.au/journal/2013/1…

How did the Australian government respond as innovative approaches emerged?

3 years later the Australian government ignored an @RCPLondon conclusion that people who smoke should be encouraged to switch to nicotine vapor products.

rcplondon.ac.uk/news/promote-e…

In 2016, this review came out. Read the conclusion:
mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/1…

There are decades of rigorous studies (& epidemiological data) proving that Swedish #snus helps people quit smoking & prevent it in the first place.

3 more years passed & the Australian government ignored another rigorous study published in @NEJM which concluded "E-cigarettes were more effective for smoking cessation than nicotine-replacement therapy"

nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…

In 2020 (7 years after the @theMJA report), the @cochranecollab published a respected systematic review stating:

"There is moderate-certainty evidence that ECs with nicotine increase quit rates compared to ECs without nicotine and compared to NRT."

cochrane.org/CD010216/TOBAC…

How did the health minister in Australia respond to these rigorous studies demonstrating new & effective approaches for Indigenous Australians?

@GregHuntMP rushed to ban nicotine vapor product imports & impose a $220,000 fine. Snus was already banned.

abc.net.au/news/2020-12-1…

Instead of listening to scientists providing evidence & ~500,000 people in Australia using nicotine vapor products or snus to avoid smoking, the government chose to tell the public that "Big Tobacco" was behind the push for these harm reduction products.

Case closed?

While the global cigarette industry is certainly a part of the equation in many nicotine discussions (that's why we crowdfunded our film), it is a cheap trick to label any support for repeatedly proven low-risk nicotine products as "Big Tobacco" to prop up harmful policies.

Calling Indigenous Australians who want access to safer products "Big Tobacco" is offensive & makes no sense.

Instead of being heard, provided helpful information, & allowed the best chance to quit smoking, they are lost in the tobacco war.

Meanwhile, the dark money interest groups we exposed in our film continue to lobby behind the scenes for policies that clearly harm public health. Because of this lobbying, more Indigenous Australians are dying early.

The public continues to sleep through it...

This is a #HumanRights concern.

In no small way, incompetent or corrupted leaders are killing significant numbers of marginalised people by banning proven new ways to quit smoking...while leaving cigarettes widely available.

The disinterest public is enabling it.

If you're ready to listen deeply to science & those who are affected most, watch our film on the ibex Roku channel or online here:

watchibex.com/programs/ydkn

We depend on audience support, but there's a free 10-day trial if you're unable to support us financially.

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