A key question WHO poses is: ‘Are e-cigarettes more or less dangerous than conventional tobacco cigarettes?’ CAPHRA says WHO should have unequivocally answered this with ‘less’. Instead, it puts vaping and smoking on the same footing, declaring that ‘both tobacco products and ENDS pose risks to health. The safest approach is not to use either.’

“If you were a smoker desperate to quit reading this Q&A, you’d likely stay smoking. WHO refuses to differentiate between vaping and smoking. At best it completely deflects from answering what are very simple and straight-forward questions. More so, it delivers lie after lie,” says Ms Loucas.

“The fact that WHO even poses a question about whether vaping is more or less dangerous than smoking is a disgrace. Rather than giving a straight one worded answer, WHO refuses to acknowledge international science that has repeatedly confirmed vaping is considerably less harmful than smoking,” she says.

CAPHRA believes WHO’s suggestion of parity between smoking and vapingis deeply unethical and could have serious health consequences if it causes people to abandon ENDS for cigarettes or not to switch.

“No respectable scientist believes that ENDS are even close to the risk of smoking. In fact, Public Health England stands resolute behind the finding that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking combustible cigarettes,” she says.

CAPHRA concludes that by kicking off the ‘question and answer’ page with such an inflammatory question, which WHO then refuses to clearly answer, is designed to introduce an ‘anchoring bias’ into its public health guidance.

“WHO does its best to establish the idea that the question on everyone’s mind is whether ENDs are as dangerous as cigarettes. By then suggesting parity of risk, the reader is left with a best-case scenario that vaping is probably just as bad as smoking. Outrageously, WHO continues to defy science and totally ignore the experiences of consumers worldwide,” she says.

For anyone left wondering after reading WHO’s questions and answers on e-cigarettes, CAPHRA is now compiling a comprehensive dossier of references from medical doctors, researchers and government-funded agencies. All of these will categorically refute the claims made by WHO in its guidance.

CAPHRA says while WHO continues to dig in on its unjustifiable anti-vaping position, internationalFCTC ( Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) delegates have an opportunity next year to ensure public health guidance on vaping finally reflects the reality: It’s saving smokers’ lives as an effective and harm reduced smoking cessation tool.

Panama is set to host WHO’s 10th FCTC Conference of Parties (COP10) in 2023, which will seedelegates having discussions and making recommendations on safer nicotine products.

“About 70 countries have already ignored WHO’s anti-vaping crusade and regulated vaping. Countries at next year’s COP10 need to fully understand that millions of smokers’ lives will depend on their discussions and decisions. It’s well overdue for WHO to follow the evidence, rather than winding up baseless and constant hysteria,” says Nancy Loucas.

Boasting over 15,000 testimonials, CAPHRA is calling on those who’ve quit cigarettes through smoke-free nicotine alternatives to tell their story onwww.righttovape.org

For a free digital media repository on tobacco harm reduction in Asia Pacific – including media releases, images and graphics – please visit https://apthrmedia.org

CAPHRA says considerable and effective advocacy from local consumer groups over recent years was key to the Government’s decision last year to legalise liquid nicotine and move forward with regulation.

Malaysian vape advocates and users also applaud the Ministry of Health’s efforts as it now prepares the new act to strictly regulate the safety and sale of vaping products.

“High product standards are critical, ensuring all vaping products sold in the open market have guaranteed safety. We also support the regulation of all online sales and advertising in line with tobacco products to protect our youth,” says Samsul Kamal Ariffin, President of MOVE (Malaysian Organization of Vape Entities) and CAPHRA member.

He says regulating vape liquids and lifting the sales ban will see Malaysia’s smoking rate fall considerably. Giving smokers much better access to harm reduced products will reduce the serious health risks and unnecessary deaths associated with combustible tobacco.

“I am proud that the Malaysian Government has pushed back on the World Health Organization’s anti-vaping agenda. As an ex-smoker, vaping has improved my health and arguably saved my life yet the WHO has pressured countries like mine to ban it. Thankfully our Government and Ministry of Health have instead listened to the many citizens like me who’ve had considerable success with vaping,” says Mr Ariffin.

Malaysia is one of the largest vape markets in the world despite nicotine long being illegal to sell except for medical purposes. With progressive vaping legislation set to be enacted and risk-proportionate regulation imminent, MOVE believes the country’s public health and international reputation will only strengthen.

Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA, says MOVE and other Malaysian vaping advocates have worked tirelessly with the Government and health officials to shift vaping from a heavily restricted medicalised product to being a more accessible option for smokers keen to quit.

“Despite its incredible effectiveness in reducing smoking rates and deaths, many countries in Asia-Pacific still insist on banning vaping. Malaysia’s pending legislation and regulation will send a big message to the world that vaping is the future, not a foe,” says Nancy Loucas.

A new global collaboration of THR consumer groups, sCOPe, has now launched a comprehensive library of online panel discussions and presentations. In November, sCOPe broadcast around the clock during COP9 – the 9th Conference of Parties for the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). To access sCOPe’s online library visit, https://bit.ly/319zzkx

Boasting nearly 15,000 testimonials, CAPHRA is calling on those who’ve quit cigarettes through smoke-free nicotine alternatives to tell their story on www.righttovape.org

For a free digital media repository on tobacco harm reduction in Asia Pacific – including media releases, images and graphics – please visit https://apthrmedia.org

The awards follow THR experts and consumer advocates organising a global livestream from 8 to 12 November during COP9 – the 9th Conference of Parties for the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Dubbed sCOPe, the round-the-clock YouTube simulcast attracted significant attention, adding to increasing international pressure on the WHO to embrace safer nicotine products, not demonise them.

Organiser Nancy Loucas of CAPHRA (Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates) says sCOPe gave a voice to leading consumer advocates who were shut out of COP9. The focus, however, must now move to preparing for COP10 in 2023 where harm reduced products will be a key discussion for delegates.

“Those of us passionate about safer nicotine products must reach out to the likes of public health officials and influencers. We need to humanise this debate and show how vaping has saved the lives of millions of ex-smokers,” says Ms Loucas.

sCOPe’s Good COP awards:

The ‘Wow, Someone’s Actually Telling Us What’s Going On’ Award went to COPWATCH for getting on the inside and giving the world real-time insights online.

The ‘Give The Man A Cigar’ Award went to Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary, Teodoro Locsin Jr, for standing up to COP9 delegates.

The ‘I am the Evidence’ Award went to passionate US consumer advocate and sCOPe panellist, Liana Hudspeth.

sCOPe’s Bad COP awards:

The ‘You Shouldn’t Really Say That About Yourself’ Awardgoes to FCTC Head, Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo, for her very bizarre ‘How industry weaponizes science’ Tweet: https://twitter.com/BlancoMarquizo/status/1459819999653244928

The ‘Our Proposal Won’t Do A Thing But Delegates Loved It’ Award went to Iran, whose government holds a sizable stake in its domestic tobacco industry.

The ‘Where The Hell Is Wally’ Award went to WHO sponsor, anti-vape crusader, and American billionaire Michael Bloomberg for trading in COP9 and flying to Glasgow’s glitzy, high-profile COP26.

To view the two sCOPe wrap-up discussions with leading THR consumer advocates visit https://youtu.be/s9eZMoDeiCE and https://youtu.be/YVlpx6VCE7A

To view sCOPe’s five days of presentations and panel discussions, visit https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8bGDU8FqUlGILwLK52hnRSoAkj-PuBgC

Now live and boasting over 14,000 testimonials, CAPHRA is calling on those who’ve quit cigarettes through smoke-free nicotine alternatives to tell their story on https://righttovape.org

For a free digital media repository on tobacco harm reduction in Asia Pacific – including media releases, images and graphics – please visit APTHR Media

The latest episode of The Advocates Voice (TAV 8) follows the World Health Organization (WHO) releasing its eighth annual report on the global tobacco epidemic last month.

TAV 8 will premiere at 4pm Hong Kong Time / 9am GMT on Sunday, 15 August.

CAPHRA (Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates) says the WHO’s latest attack on safer nicotine products, driven and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, deserves the global ridicule it has attracted.

With the call ‘we need to get louder’ and ‘we are the evidence’, TAV 8 will kick off with a passionate video presentation. Featuring leading Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) experts and advocates, a panel discussion will follow.

TAV 8 will include Founding Chairman of ATHRA (Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association) Dr Colin Mendelsohn. He will talk about the looming restrictions for Australian vapers. From 1 October, it will be illegal for anyone to import nicotine for personal use without a prescription from a medical doctor, with penalties up to $222,000.

As a medical doctor who works full-time in tobacco treatment, Dr Mendelsohn will discuss the regulation’s likely impact on Australian smokers and vapers, and if pro-vaping new Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce can change anything.

TAV 8 will provide THR public policy updates on what is happening in Malaysia and Mexico. It will also announce the launch of a new global advocacy initiative which encourages personal stories from around the world.

Led by Nancy Loucas, the TAV 8 panel will include Asia Pacific THR consumer advocates: Peter Paul Dator from the Philippines (Director of Vapers PH), Asa Saligupta (Director of ECST – ENDs Cigarette Smoke Thailand) and Samsul Kamal Ariffin (President of MOVE – Malaysian Organization of Vape Entities).

The discussion will centre around the impacts of the WHO report on consumers and what can, and should be, done to counter the misinformation narrative.

It will be simulcast on CAPHRA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/caphraorg and YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/3fvNF4m. Questions from viewers to the panel are encouraged.

“Consumer advocates are increasingly angry that the WHO continues to promote its baseless and incredibly destructive view on vaping. It comes despite leading scientific evidence confirming vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking and is the world’s most effective smoking cessation tool,” she says.

Nancy Loucas says the WHO seems determined to destroy the one version of harm reduction that has potential to reduce illness and save lives globally.

“The very organization charged with looking after our health continues to ramp up its efforts to deny people who smoke access to products that give them the chance to have a long and healthy life,” she says.

TAV 8 will also be encouraging viewers to sign the Right2Switch petition at change.org/v4v-petition. It urges the WHO to respect consumer rights and to stop demonizing Tobacco Harm Reduction options ahead of the next biennial meeting of the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in November.

To view the TAV 8 promotional video, visit https://youtu.be/QA-gVLWGcsk

Mr. Maris Karanyawat, representative of e-cigarette user network End Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST) and the Facebook page “What is e-cigarette”, said the findings of the study conducted by 38 researchers contradicted what was happening in many countries where e-cigarettes have actually helped smokers quit.

The research, which compared the smoking cessation technique of medication to e-cigarette use, concluded that two-thirds of those who switched to e-cigarette became addicted to the product.

“This research contradicts the reality in many countries and number of studies which support e-cigarette as an alternative to quitting smoking,” Mr. Maris said in a statement.

He said legislators in countries like the Philippines and New Zealand had started to consider e-cigarettes and other smoke-free products as less harmful alternatives to combustible cigarettes.

Maris said that in the Philippines, a joint committee of the House of Representatives recently passed a bill to regulate e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products to help reduce harm for smokers.

He said New Zealand also passed a law supporting smoke-free products which are believed to be less harmful than conventional combustible cigarettes and as such are considered safer alternatives for those who would otherwise continue to smoke.

Mr. Maris said the European Union and the United States also allow their citizens to have access to less harmful alternatives which can help them finally quit smoking.

He said that e-cigarettes have actually proven effective in making smokers quit.  This, he said, will help a lot of smokers in Thailand who struggle to quit smoking.

“The results of a survey by the National Statistical Office in 2017 clearly indicate that 43% of smokers do not want to quit smoking.  While only 20% said they have tried to quit smoking, and within the group who tried to quit smoking, they have attempted it for more than 1 to 2 times because these people had no other choice,” Maris said.

Numerous scientific studies have shown that e-cigarettes are less harmful compared to smoking cigarettes, he said.

“Why don’t we give these smokers a chance to switch to e-cigarettes for less exposure to harmful substances? Or shall we let these people who cannot yet quit smoking, continue to smoke cigarettes?” Mr. Maris asked.

He said several research and studies such as the one conducted by the Cancer Research UK concluded that e-cigarette can help people quit smoking successfully by up to 60 percent.

However, Mr. Asa Saligupta, another representative ECST, said the results of this study have never been published because anti-smoking organizations are not open to results that offer a different perspective.

“They do not understand the behavior of smokers at all, despite the fact that smokers should be informed of the advantages, disadvantages, and guidelines for quitting smoking. So that one day, they can decide for themselves which method to pursue to quit smoking,” Mr. Saligupta said.

A clinical study (Clinical Priority Partnership) between the Cancer Research UK and the Royal Colleges of Physicians suggests that based on the evidence to date, vaping is a lot less harmful alternative to smoking tobacco and that e-cigarettes are more effective for smoking cessation compared to both over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy and quitting unaided.

Mr. Maris said that no less than the Office of the Ombudsman recommended that the opinions of smokers and e-cigarette users be considered and that positive and negative information be treated fairly in deciding whether the ban on e-cigarettes should be sustained or lifted.

“One-sided biased news and creating fear is not a good policy because it will only confuse consumers and will cause them to not be able to get accurate information,” Mr. Maris said.

He said ECST would present all information to the Office of the Ombudsman as an acknowledgment to ensure impartiality in reviewing the ban on e-cigarettes.

About ECST

Ends Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST)  is a consumer advocacy organization that strives to promote tobacco harm reduction in the face of blanket bans, fines and jail time for consumers who wish to use alternative nicotine consumption products, specifically Electronic Liquid Vaporizers.