Tobacco product regulation: Basic handbook

WHO has launched an online course on tobacco product regulation in response to the need for clear, practical guidance on tobacco product regulation. The course is based on Tobacco Product Regulation: Basic Handbook, a basic reference document for non-scientist regulators in any country and tool for health authorities and other interested parties seeking resources and planning on how to monitor, evaluate, and regulate tobacco products. Further, the handbook includes relevant country case studies detailing specific approaches enacted globally.

Although tobacco product use is a major public health problem, tobacco products are one of the few openly available consumer products that are virtually unregulated in terms of contents, emissions and design features. Countries hesitate to implement regulations in this area, partly due to the associated challenges, the highly technical nature of this policy intervention and the difficulties in translating science into regulation. The handbook provides authoritative guidance on tobacco product regulation, especially in line with the requirements of Articles 9 and 10 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), in response to countries’ requests. Failure to regulate tobacco products represents a missed opportunity as tobacco product regulation, in the context of comprehensive control, is a valuable tool that could complement other tried and tested tobacco control interventions, such as raising taxes, smoke-free environments, etc.