NEWS
WE DON ’ T WANT THIS ‘ QUIT OR DIE ’ NONSENSE
WHO comes under fire for new anti-vaping report and is warned that its approach to tobacco harm reduction will cost lives .
Words : Patrick Griffin
The World Health Organization is moving ever closer to ‘ reputational ruin ’ after publishing yet another ‘ biased and nonsensical ’ anti-vaping report .
The WHO said that e-cigarettes were ‘ often marketed to children and adolescents ’ using ‘ thousands of appealing flavours ’ to help them do so .
It claimed that children who tried vaping were ‘ up to three times more likely to use tobacco products in the future ’ and called for stricter regulations on a global scale .
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said : “ Electronic nicotine delivery systems are harmful and must be better regulated . travel set out in this report is nonsensical .
“ Rather than focus on the all-important goal of beating smoking , the WHO is turning its guns on vaping , the most powerful smoking cessation tool on the planet .
“ They clearly find it more important to fall into line with the narrow-minded ‘ quit or die ’ approach trumpeted by the WHO ’ s billionaire sponsors , like Mike Bloomberg .”
Landl added : “ The WHO systematically ignores the wealth of scientific evidence pointing to the benefits of vaping , not to mention the first-hand experience of millions of vapers . “ Restricting or banning access to vaping will do nothing but cost lives .”
“ Where they are not banned , governments should adopt appropriate policies to protect their populations from the harms of electronic nicotine delivery systems , and to prevent their uptake by children , adolescents and other vulnerable groups .”
Consulting and vape policy expert Clive Bates responded : “ This new , error-strewn , anti-vaping report edges the WHO closer to reputational ruin .
“ Now a rented mouthpiece for activist rhetoric , the WHO is perversely protecting the cigarette trade from much safer alternatives .”
World Vapers ’ Alliance Director Michael Landl said the WHO report ‘ on the global tobacco epidemic 2021 : addressing new and emerging products ’ promoted the discredited theory that vaping acted as a gateway to smoking .
Landl said : “ Besides being riddled with biased anti-vaping scaremongering and false claims , the entire direction of
The UKVIA said the WHO report ‘ flies in the face of scientific evidence , common sense and harm reduction ’ and blasted its ‘ long-standing anti-vaping stance .’
UKVIA Director General John Dunne said : “ The fundamental difference between the UK and the WHO is that the UK has taken a science and evidence-led approach towards vaping .
“ The WHO is effectively calling for a ‘ ban on everything ’ except combustible tobacco products . “ It seems hell-bent on preventing smokers ’ access to the one method proven to not only help smokers quit cigarettes , but to do so long term .”
John Britton , Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham was also highly critical of the document .
He said : “ The WHO still doesn ’ t understand the fundamental difference between addiction to tobacco smoking , which kills millions of people every year , and addiction to nicotine , which doesn ’ t .”
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