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 200 million lives worldwide.

Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers' Alliance, said: "Important research and real-world evidence both show that progressive vaping policies can help millions of smokers quit successfully. However, due to pressure from anti-vaping groups, the promotion of vaping still faces major obstacles. Our campaign will ensure that the public can understand the relevant evidence and hear the voices of vaping users, thereby encouraging governments around the world to seize the opportunity and save 200 million lives."

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

Landl said: "At both COP9 and the EU level, global leaders may, under pressure from anti-vaping activists, introduce laws that treat vaping the same as traditional cigarettes. That would be a disaster for vaping users, smokers, and public health. If vaping taxes rise sharply, flavored pods are banned, and stricter purchasing policies are introduced, millions of vaping users may be forced to return 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. To make that happen, 2021 is absolutely a crucial year."

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

Michael Landl concluded: "It is essential that stakeholders hear the voices of vaping users. That is why we are launching this campaign across Europe and around the world. Our campaign will include a range of activities online and in the real world to ensure that governments seize the opportunity to 'Back Vaping. Beat Smoking.'"