FEATURE
WHO turns its guns on vaping
The WHO puts its case against e-cigarettes : time to round up the usual suspects , reports ECigIntelligence
It ’ s hard to deny that in principle , and very often in practice , the World Health Organization ( WHO ) has a rightful leading place among the Good Guys . In face of something as threatening as Covid-19 , for example , who would you rather trust – your government or the WHO ?
However , as a 73-year-old global institution with an annual budget approaching $ 8bn , derived mostly from voluntary contributions from both its member states and private donors , it can hardly be expected to be at all times uncontroversial . When it brings its massive international influence to bear on e-cigarettes it never is .
And when it publishes a document as weighty , and as dogmatic , as its eighth report on “ the global tobacco epidemic ”, presenting what it calls “ new data on electronic nicotine delivery systems , such as ‘ e-cigarettes ’ ”, it inevitably makes headlines . And , just as inevitably , the usual suspects line up in their usual places on either side of the argument .
Let ’ s look at a few of the WHO ’ s salient points , as conveniently picked out by the Khaleej Times :
“ Nicotine is the primary agent in both regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes , and it is highly addictive .”
Primary agent of addiction , yes , but not of the truly damaging health effects , which come predominantly from tar and other constituents of smoke .
“ It causes you to crave a smoke and suffer withdrawal symptoms if you ignore the craving .”
Not really . If you crave nicotine and have an e-cig handy , you don ’ t have to smoke to satisfy the desire . That ’ s rather the point .
“ Though marketed as safer way to smoke , e-cigarettes are equally harmful .”
This is where the WHO and many others really let fly with the unsupported assertions . All the best evidence so far suggests it ’ s simply not true . So far .
In the other corner , step forward Michael Landl , director of the World Vapers ’ Alliance ( WVA ), with a few assertions of his own : “ Besides being riddled with biased anti-vaping scaremongering and false claims , the entire direction of travel set out in the latest WHO 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 . The reality is that if the world follows the WHO ’ s lead , fewer smokers will quit and more will die as a consequence .”
It would have been surprising , too , if the director of the WVA had taken any other line . And however forcefully the arguments are put on either side it ’ s hard to imagine anyone being seriously swayed in either direction until a lot more real-world evidence is available .
For now , there ’ s a whole lot more rhetoric than science in the air . Whichever way you look at it .
About ECigIntelligence
ECigIntelligence ( www . ECigIntelligence . com ) is the leading provider of detailed global market and regulatory analysis , legal tracking , and quantitative data for the e-cigarette , heated tobacco and combustible-alternatives sector worldwide .
We offer the necessary tools to navigate the complex market and regulatory landscape of this sector through independent , analytical and actionable data insights , in-depth country reports , regulatory trackers and legal analysis . In addition , we offer customised research and consultancy support .
www . ECigIntelligence . com
68 l VM35