Embrace the Vape on No Smoking Day
The United Kingdom must double down on embracing vaping as part of the annual No Smoking Day celebrations, says the World Vapers’ Alliance
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by Dave Cross
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Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, said: “The UK is a smoking-cessation champion and harm reduction leader worldwide. Smoking rates have fallen by more than 29% in the last decade since vaping became widely popular, and the government must double down on embracing vaping.
“The broad adoption of vaping due to strong political backing is why smoking rates decrease faster than in other countries. ‘No Smoking Day’ should celebrate the UK’s achievement and not be endangered by vaping scaremongering.”
The WVA points out that several sources (including Planet of the Vapes) have recently reported that some ministers are considering imposing higher taxes on vaping products and enforcing new regulations on packaging and flavours in response to the Khan Review published last year.
Many, including the WVA, have expressed a belief that such actions would endanger the progress achieved by fully embracing vaping for smokers.
“Politicians must withstand the pressure from anti-vaping groups, the WHO, and other countries who are ignoring scientific facts and the success of the UK. Caving-in would be a disaster for smokers and current vapers. Higher taxation over vaping products and equalling vaping with smoking instead of adopting a risk-based regulation will push many vapers back to smoking and not help current smokers to switch to a less harmful alternative”, added Landl.
Compared to the EU, smoking rates in the UK have fallen twice as fast. Last month, the UK was crowned as one of the tobacco harm reduction champions by the World Vapers’ Alliance in the Tobacco Harm Reduction Policy Primer.
The World Vapers’ Alliance is says it is “a global consumer movement that amplifies the voices of more than 55,000 vapers worldwide. The WVA urges the UK to support vaping and other smoking alternatives to remain a leader in tobacco harm reduction.”
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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