Local vaping groups add voices to criticisms vs WHO

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LOCAL vaping groups have joined an international group of independent experts with no conflicting links to the tobacco or vaping industry that has sharply criticized the World Health Organization for its “backward-looking” approach to innovation and new technology, such as vaping products.

“We have always questioned the WHO’s competence in tobacco control, particularly in recognizing tobacco harm reduction as a public health strategy and the potential for new technologies, such as e-cigarettes, to reduce smoking-related harms,” said Joey Dulay, president of the Philippine E-cigarette Industry Association.

“Stubbornly clinging to their myopic belief that the only way to reduce smoking is for smokers to ‘quit or die,’ the WHO conveniently ignores the science supporting e-cigarettes as a less harmful alternative to conventional cigarettes and shamelessly stoops to the level of falsity, propaganda and fear mongering,” said Peter Paul Dator, president of The Vapers Philippines.

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In a statement issued for World No Tobacco Day 2020, the experts say they are exasperated by the WHO’s dogmatic hostility towards new technology and fear the UN health agency will squander the opportunity to avoid millions of premature deaths that will be caused by smoking.

“We know beyond reasonable doubt that vaping and other smoke-free nicotine products are very much less risky than smoking, and that those who switch completely see rapid improvements in their health. Yet the WHO continues to promote the outright prohibition or extreme regulation of these products. How can it make sense to ban the much safer product when cigarettes are available everywhere?” said Professor David Abrams of the School of Global Public Health, New York University.

The group expressed concern that WHO would miss key international objectives for reducing cancer, heart and lung disease.

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