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

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

Michael　Landl, Director of the World Vapers' Alliance, said: “Major studies and real-world evidence show that progressive vaping policies can help millions of smokers quit successfully. However, due to pressure from anti-vaping groups, the promotion of vaping continues to face major obstacles. Our campaign will ensure that the public can understand the evidence and hear the voices of vapers, encouraging governments around the world to seize the opportunity to save 200 million lives.”

2021 is a pivotal year for global public health policy. Two major milestones this year will shape governments’ decisions—whether to seize the opportunity to save 200 million lives or to restrict smokers’ access to life-changing quit-smoking tools. The first is the 9th Conference of the Parties (COP9) to the global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which will set the direction for anti-smoking and vaping-related policies worldwide. The second is the European Union’s ongoing legislative discussion in Brussels on the Tobacco Products Directive, which will become a global benchmark for vaping policy.

Landl said: “At COP9 and at the EU level, there is a real risk that global leaders, under pressure from anti-vaping activists, will introduce laws that treat vaping the same as traditional cigarettes. That would be a disaster for vapers, smokers, and public health. If vaping taxes are significantly increased, flavored pod sales are banned, and stricter vape purchasing policies are introduced, millions of vapers could be forced back to cigarettes.”

Michael　Landl added: “If governments ignore the fact that vaping is 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes and has already helped millions of people quit smoking, they will miss a golden opportunity to save lives. If countries adopt the right vaping policies, nearly 200 million lives could be saved. And to achieve that, 2021 is absolutely a critical year.”

The World Vapers' Alliance today launched a global campaign to ensure that the millions of people who have successfully quit traditional cigarettes through vaping can make their voices heard—and be heard by the relevant stakeholders. The Back　Vaping.　Beat　Smoking campaign will send a clear message to decision-makers around the world: the best way to eliminate smoking is to promote vaping and incorporate it into public health policy.

Michael　Landl concluded: “It is vital that stakeholders hear the voices of vapers. That is why we are launching this campaign across Europe and around the world. Our campaign will include a range of online and real-world activities to ensure that governments seize the opportunity to ‘Back Vaping. Beat Smoking.’”