WHO Are UK Vaping Advocacy Groups Taking To Task?

Is It The Calm Before the WHO Creates An Almighty Anti Vaping Storm?

Last week’s No Tobacco Day, organized by the World Health Organization, passed by pretty much unnoticed as nothing more than a tiny cloud across an otherwise clear blue vape friendly sky.

Sure the movers and shakers from the WHO, Governments and tobacco control ‘intelligentsia’ enjoyed a lot of back-slapping, lavish lunches and the willy-nilly handing out of ‘awards’ – all very friendly. However, underneath those virtue signalling soundbite speeches and fancy posters, the plight of the world’s smokers was pretty much forgotten.

Harsh? Not really given the WHO steadfastly – some might say ridiculously – refuses to budge on its anti-vaping stance…not only that it’s actively looking to remove all ‘novel’ nicotine products, including that e-cigarette you’re holding right now…

This hasn’t gone unnoticed by two of the UK’s largest and most active advocacy groups, who are extremely concerned that if the WHO’s continued anti-vape message is left unchecked, storm clouds may be gathering…

The New Nicotine Alliance and the UK Vaping Industry Association fears the global watchdogs of health could be doing all it can to rid the world’s smokers of life-saving alternative products such as e-cigarettes and they are calling it:

the calm before the storm

I’ve reported many times the WHO’s anti-vape stance flies in the face of reason, and science, and once again and during a world health action day, supposedly promoting the mantra tobacco kills – they once again ignored the healthier and most successful quit smoking option – vaping.

I could go into my theories as to why WHO is so anti- vape, I’ve certainly touched on it many times, but the issue here is what is it exactly the NNA and the UKVIA is getting alarmed about?

It all boils down to the agenda WHO has set out for the Conference of the Parties (COP9) to be held in Holland next year where one submission has called for the complete removal of ALL vaping products!

The submission urges the WHO to:

…prioritize measures that prevent initiation of novel and emerging tobacco products, protect people from exposure to their emissions, prevent health claims being made for such products, avert their promotion, regulate the contents and disclosure of the contents of novel and emerging tobacco products, and regulate, including restriction or prohibition of the manufacture, importation, distribution, presentation, sale and use of novel and emerging tobacco products.

What the absolute fuck???

The WHO Is Trying To Ban Vaping Says UK Advocacy Groups

The NNA doesn’t hold back at this suggestion saying in their May Newsletter:

As usual, the FCTC is incorrectly classifying e-cigarettes as tobacco to bolster its Luddite action against innovative products which have led to astonishing declines in smoking rates in countries such as Norway, Japan, Sweden, Korea, USA, France and the UK.

Nicely put.

The UKVIA was just as forthright and shows exactly how the WHO is apparently trying to combat world lit tobacco use whilst actively doing all it can to convince Governments across the globe to ban vaping:

• World Health Organisation promotes Tobacco Free Day while encouraging bans on vaping
• The day comes a week after major study shows vapers are 95% more likely to quit smoking
• The vaping industry calls for international rule change to recognise how vaping helps smokers quit

Again nicely put, however, the amount of cash sloshing around in the WHO’s coffers set aside for junkets to exotic destinations and ‘payments’ to Governments, to supposedly ‘fight tobacco use’ would obviously dry up quicker than a packet of baccy left out in the sun.

There’s a lot at stake for those faceless WHO executives, their entourages – and hangers-on should, God forbid, the smokers of the world turn to vaping…me a conspiracy theorist? Naw…

But I digress.

There is a growing bank of evidence which shows that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking, including studies from the respected and independent Public Health England, Cancer Research UK and Action on Smoking and Health.

Despite this the WHO continue to confuse and dissuade smokers from switching to vaping, potentially prolonging the harmful effects of smoking on those people.

Just last week, scientists from University College London published research that found smokers were three times more likely to quit by vaping, rather than using other nicotine replacement therapies. The WHO themselves recognise the potential for vaping to help people make the switch, so they need to stop contradicting themselves and base their policies on scientific evidence.

Switching to vaping really could see the sort of tobacco-free society that the WHO are encouraging through World Tobacco Free Day.

Absolutely and a point echoed by our old friend and advocacy firebrand Sarah Jakes – former chair of the NNA who was as refreshingly forthright as always:

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was founded with a commitment to encourage tobacco harm reduction.

Its Ottawa Charter and Jakarta Declaration also pledge to put people at the heart of decision-making and to support and enable consumers to keep themselves, their families and friends healthy.

Yet by ignoring the global success of alternative nicotine products these goals are being abandoned.

World No Tobacco Day should be a great opportunity to raise awareness of far safer alternative nicotine products to maximise benefits to public health worldwide.

It is disappointing then that the WHO instead supports bans on vaping, despite mounting evidence that e-cigarettes are a proven safer alternative to smoking and have contributed to record falls in smoking prevalence in countries where they are allowed to flourish.

Is It ALL About the Money?

Disappointing indeed and please do remember, and as I wrote in last year’s article World No Tobacco Day – WHO Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Adhanom..? – this cabal of the crazed has placed the NNA on the same ‘ban list’ as they have arms dealers and Big Tobacco…yes really.

All the NNA wanted to do last year was to offer its considerable knowledge on e-cigs and SNUS to the WHO…who not only ignored them but pretty much labelled them terrorists…

With that kind of childish, ludicrous and quite frankly HIGHLY suspicious action, one really does worry for the smokers in developing countries in particular, where Governments will be eager to grab buckets of WHO cash.

As to if that seemingly endless stream of funding will ever find its way to stop smoking clinics and programmes is anyone’s guess…Though the cynic in me suggests not…

If the WHO really is serious about creating a ‘smoke-free’ world – it needs to support vaping and other so called ‘novel’ nicotine delivery systems…and support them now.

Speaking of support…

Find out how you can join for free and donate to the New Nicotine Alliance
More about the UK Vaping Industry Association