Pinoy Vape Haters Hit Back
Anti-THR activists attack calls for common sense in the Philippines.
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by Dave Cross
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Tom Pinlac, president of The Vapers Philippines, pointed out that the FDA was moving towards the viewpoints held by Public Health England (PHE) and the Royal College of Physicians – and was just one of the many agencies worldwide that are beginning to see vaping as a sensible part of a smoking harm reduction approach.
Philippine E-liquids Manufacturers Association president Edward Gatchalian agrees with Pinlac and welcomed the FDA paper: “Nicotine is the addictive chemical in cigarettes that makes people hooked to smoking, but it is the toxic gases in cigarette tar that kills smokers.”
The pair called upon the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) to adopt a new position, and take new position statements and research findings into consideration. They urged the DOH to endorse electronic cigarettes as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco cigarette smoking.
This has provoked a furious attack by Health Justice Philippines (HJP), and was joined by the busybodies at the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SATCA).
Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan used to be the Philippines Health Secretary, now he speaks on behalf of the HJP. He said: “The tobacco industry, which has run out of sensible arguments in favour of smoking, is now trying to position vaping as a healthy substitute to smoking. That is a lie. There is no such thing as a healthy substitute to smoking.”
It would be interesting to know what sensible arguments in favour of smoking he thinks the tobacco industry used to have?
“It would be the height of absurdity for the DoH. As far as the national and international scientific and medical community is concerned, vaping or the use of electronic cigarettes is not completely safe because these still emit toxic chemicals,” Tan continued – seemingly oblivious to the lives that would be saved through harm reduction. He doesn’t appear to care that PHE has stated ‘vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking’.
It is ironic that Tan is demanding the public are fully informed about vaping when he is electing to ignore anything supporting its adoption by governments – instead, Tan spoke to journalists about nicotine being a “tumour promoter,” its potential for neurodegeneration, and the danger it posed to developing brains.
SATCA’s Domilyn Villarreiz joined in: “Vaping involves the inhalation of nicotine at the same levels as cigarettes and can maintain nicotine addiction. It also increases one’s likelihood of developing malignant and cardiovascular diseases. Foetal and adolescent exposure to it has particularly adverse effects on brain development. These are just a few reasons why vaping must also be banned in all public places where smoking is also banned.”
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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