World Vapers' Alliance: Support Vaping, Quit Cigarettes, Save 200 Million

The World Vapers' Alliance today launched a large-scale global campaign ——“Back Vaping. Beat Smoking” aimed at influencing international public health policy and saving the lives of 200 million people worldwide.

Michael Landl, a director of the World Vapers' Alliance, stated: “Important research and real-world evidence show that progressive vaping policies can help millions of smokers successfully quit. However, due to pressure from anti-vaping organizations, the promotion of vaping remains challenging. Our campaign will ensure that the public is informed about the relevant evidence and hears the voices of vaping users, prompting governments to seize the opportunity to save 200 million lives.”

2021 is a critical year for global public health policy. Two significant milestones this year will determine the choices of governments worldwide —— whether to seize the opportunity to save 200 million lives or to restrict smokers' access to life-changing quitting tools. The first is the global Conference of the Parties (COP9) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which will set the direction for global anti-smoking and vaping-related policies. The second is the EU Tobacco Products Directive legislation currently being discussed in Brussels, which will become the benchmark for vaping policies worldwide.

Landl stated: “At the COP9 and EU levels, global leaders may, under pressure from anti-vaping activists, enact laws that treat vaping the same as traditional cigarettes. This would be a disaster for vaping users, traditional smokers, and public health. If vaping tax rates are significantly increased, flavored pod sales are banned, and stricter vaping purchase policies are implemented, millions of vaping users may be forced to revert to smoking cigarettes.”

Michael Landl added: “If governments ignore the fact that vaping is 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes and has already helped millions successfully quit, they will miss a golden opportunity to save lives. If countries can develop the right vaping policies, nearly 200 million lives can be saved. Achieving this goal in 2021 is absolutely critical.”

The World Vapers' Alliance today launched a global campaign to ensure that millions of users who have successfully quit traditional cigarettes through vaping can express their voices and be heard by relevant parties. The Back Vaping. Beat Smoking campaign will convey a clear message to decision-makers worldwide: the best way to eradicate smoking is to promote vaping and incorporate it into public health policy.

Michael Landl concluded: “It is crucial to ensure that the voices of vaping users are heard. That is why we are launching this campaign across Europe and the world. Our campaign will include various activities in both the online and real worlds to ensure that governments can seize the opportunity to ‘support vaping, quit smoking’.