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8 tobaccoasia Issue 6, 2025 November / December From the Associate Editor © 2025 October Multimedia Co Ltd. TOBACCO ASIA (ISSN 2773-8701) is published bi-monthly by October Multimedia Co Ltd in January, March, May, July, September, and November. Printing and distribution of TOBACCO ASIA is overseen by October Inter Co. Ltd., Thamatee Building, 159/19 Soi Ramkhamhaeng 110, Ramkhamhaeng Road, Sapansung, Bangkok 10240 THAILAND. E-mail: info@octobermultimedia.com, web: www.tobaccoasia.com, WeChat/WhatsApp: +19178430000 Representation for Tobacco Asia Asia/Middle East/Australasia Southern Europe/Eastern Europe China/Italy/Spain/France October Inter Co. Ltd. Thamatee Building, 159/19 Soi Ramkhamhaeng 110, Ramkhamhaeng Road, Sapansung, Bangkok 10240 Tel +66 812861103. info@octobermultimedia.com WhatsApp/WeChat: +19178430000 The Americas/Benelux/UK Germany/Scandinavia Switzerland/Austria Cardinal Media LLC 2 Glenfield, Barrington RI 02806 United States Contact: Emerson Leonard Tel +1 917 680 1050 edl@octobermultimedia.com Printing/Distribution overseen by: October Inter Co. Ltd. Published by: October Multimedia Co., Ltd. Printed in Thailand © 2025 October Multimedia Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Bylined or initialed articles represent the opinion of the author. All articles published in Tobacco Asia or www.tobaccoasia.com are copyrighted. No part of this publication may be reproduced or in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without written permission. Subscriptions to TOBACCO ASIA magazine Subscription Rates: 1 Year – US$75.00 2 Years – US$145.00 3 Years – US$210.00 For inquiries, contact: malisa@tobaccoasia.com Secure online payment: https://www.tobaccoasia.com/subscribe Nattira Medvedeva Associate Editor As the world turns its attention to the upcoming COP11 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), few expect anything new—and understandably so. Those fa- miliar with previous Conferences of the Parties have seen this movie before: closed doors, predetermined narratives, and a continued refusal to engage with anyone connected to the industry. The result is the same each time—policy built on ideology rather than science. WHO continues to approach tobacco and nicotine with a one- size-fits-all mindset. It refuses to distinguish between com- bustible products, which millions of adults around the world still legally choose, and next-generation products that repre- sent genuine innovation in harm reduction. Instead of recog- nizing a spectrum of risk, WHO insists on treating everything from traditional cigarettes to heated tobacco and nicotine pouches as equally problematic (see Stefanie Rossel's story on p.26 for more details on COP11.) This refusal to acknowl- edge difference does not make policy smarter—it makes it blinder. Excluding the industry from the discussion under the guise of preventing "interference" has also become routine. Yet without the insights of manufacturers, growers, and supply chain experts, the conversation lacks the practical grounding needed to design workable solutions. How do they expect to shape effective policy while shutting out the very people who under- stand how products are made, regulated, and used? The same pattern is visible in the European Union's proposed Tobacco Products Direc- tive (TPD3). The draft revisions mirror FCTC's restrictive tone, ignoring both innovation and market realities. Instead of supporting a balanced framework that allows adult consumers access to regulated, lower-risk products, TPD3 (see Timothy Donahue's story on p.22 for TPD3 insights) risks tightening controls to the point where distinctions between product cat- egories vanish. This approach raises a fundamental question: if the stated goal is reducing harm to people's health, why silence the science and the stakeholders who can help achieve it? Dismissing harm reduction as a mere "industry talking point" overlooks the fact that millions of adult smokers are already switching to these alternatives on their own. These are not marketing slogans—they are real behavioral shifts that could reduce risk on a population level if sup- ported rather than suppressed. Obviously, no one is claiming nicotine products are completely without risk, but the conver- sation should be about informed choice and proportional regulation, not prohibition. The world's tobacco landscape is changing, and regulators need to change with it. Clinging to outdated narratives only drives consumers toward unregulated markets and erodes trust in institutions that claim to act in their interest. If COP11 and TPD3 follow the same script, they will miss yet another opportunity to advance public health through inclusion, dialogue, and evidence-based policy. The world doesn't need another declaration—it needs open discussion, scientific honesty, and the courage to recog- nize that progress sometimes begins with listening to those you've long refused to hear.