WVA on the Ecig Summit
Science and evidence need to replace vaping scaremongering to save lives, says the World Vapers’ Alliance following the recent E-Cigarette Summit
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by Dave Cross
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The E-Cigarette Summit saw contributions from over 35 experts about vaping and novel nicotine products, almost all agreeing that they are key in the fight against smoking.
Commenting on the event Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, said: “When we compare the tone and content of what was discussed at the E-Cigarette Summit with what we read and hear in media across the globe, the difference is stark. It was refreshing to hear measured and mature expert voices talking about realities without sensationalisation.
“The science is clear: vaping is a less harmful alternative to smoking and an effective smoking cessation method. It is the responsibility of the media and policymakers to understand the subject they want to regulate so eagerly better. The lives of millions of smokers are too important to be put on the line for clickbait headlines and the pursuit of anti-vaping ideology.”
Professor Jacob George of the University of Dundee spoke about the health effects of vaping, highlighted the importance of scientific honesty and criticised the recently published SCHEER report in failing in doing so. He said SCHEER’s opinion is “based on very poor-quality data”, that some of the studies that SCHEER classify as “strong” don’t even mention e-cigarettes once, and he criticised their use of “selective evidence.”
The Science Media Centre’s Press Officer, Tom Sheldon, also urged the media to change their way of reporting on vaping. He said, “where there’s controversy, there’s media,” and called for journalists to focus more on science and evidence on their vaping reporting and less on “scare stories”.
Professor Peter Hajek of Queen Mary University then explained why “stopping people from vaping is unethical”. He went on to criticise anti-vaping arguments and noted that the “moral certainty” with which anti-vaping groups make their points is dangerous.
The WVA compiled a summary of the most important statements from all experts throughout the two days which can be found here:
“It is time for politicians and journalists to listen to the experts in the field of harm reduction. Otherwise, the fight against smoking will not be successful. Maybe some will tune in next year for the E-cigarette summit”, concluded Michael Landl.
Related:
- World Vapers’ Alliance – [link]
- WVA on Twitter – [link]
- WVA on Instagram – [link]
- WVA YouTube Channel – [link]
- WVA Facebook Group – [link]
- E-Cigarette Summit – [link]
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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