We Have a Problem with Whitty
Professor Chris Whitty has made a wild claim about the addictiveness of vaping and there appears to be no reliable evidence to support it
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by Dave Cross
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Professor Chris Whitty has made a wild claim about the addictiveness of vaping and there appears to be no reliable evidence to support it. Attendees at the regional meeting were left flummoxed by Professor Whitty’s statement as the research experts were unaware of any research available to inform such a position. The incident feeds in to a growing feeling that the Chief Medical Officer is relying more on feelings than facts when it comes to vaping.
Writing on Twitter on the Addiction Research Group account, Professor Caitlin Notley (Joint ARG Lead) asked: “Attending a regional smokefree generation meeting today. Interested to hear Sir Chris Whitty state that 'vaping is as addictive as smoking'. Anyone point me to the evidence underpinning this statement?”
Why is this concerning?
Professor Caitlin Notley is an outstanding independent researcher, highly knowledgeable about current harm reduction evidence, and leading groundbreaking new research projects such as The ECtra Study and the Cessation of Smoking Trial in the Emergency Department (COSTED).
If Professor Notley is unaware of the basis of a claim that vaping is as addictive as smoking, then it is reasonable to assume that there is either no evidence or that the evidence is so weak as to not be reliable.
Why then did Whitty make the claim?
So, who is Professor Chris Whitty?
As stated on Gov.uk, Professor Chris Whitty is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, the UK government’s Chief Medical Adviser and head of the public health profession.
Sir Chris is also an honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – the same establishment where arch anti-vaping activist Martin McKee plies his trade; a man well known to vape advocates for playing fast and loose with the truth, frequently relying on myths and misinformation to support his prohibitionist stance.
There is no indication that Whitty and McKee have ever met to discuss vaping, but the coincidence is striking given his recent claim about the addictiveness of vaping.
Communication from the CMO
Strikingly, the Twitter account for Professor Chris Whitty lies largely dormant, making one post a month – and the last one being in May. Given the recent discussions about the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, it would be reasonable to expect some detailed communication from the Chief Medical Adviser to the government and head of the public health profession.
Aside from a handful of newspaper articles, communication with the public is largely non-existent. The CMO does not publish any of his contact details. Planet of the Vapes has attempted to contact Professor Sir Chris Whitty through the Department of Health media team asking about his comment to the Anglian regional smokefree generation meeting. At the time of writing, we have received no reply.
What has Whitty said about vaping in the past?
On the marketing of vapes, May 2023
He said: “Vaping is however not risk-free. We do not know the long-term effects of many vape ingredients and companies deliberately inducing nicotine addiction in others to maximise profits is not in the interests of the person being addicted.”
Continuing: “Companies trying to addict children for profit are behaving in a shameful way. Yet it is undoubtedly happening…Companies are marketing products targeted specifically at children using colours, flavours and cheap disposable options, whatever they may claim.”
This is the parroting of a Bloomberg line of attack and colours the entire industry on the basis of malpractice by a minority of companies.
On the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, April 2024
He stated: “The bill will substantially reduce the ability of vape companies to market to children, an utterly unacceptable practice.”
He also implied that vape products are tobacco products and framing it as though the tobacco industry is in control of the vape market, adding: “[The tobacco industry] tries to pass off new tobacco products as ‘safe’, as it did with ‘low tar cigarettes’ and cigarette filters - but no tobacco products are safe.”
It’s a problem
Two days following Professor Notley’s request for information, no one has been able to provide any source.
Richard Pruen, who runs the Safer Nicotine Wiki, said that “most studies show the opposite” and that the only sources he is aware of are “un-referenced claims by anti-vape activists”.
The main source for the claim that 'vaping is as addictive as smoking' comes from the Johns Hopkins University, an institution that (quick, pop on your tinfoil hats) has received $1billion from Michael Bloomberg.
And so we arrive at this point: Professor Chris Whitty, an unaccountable, uncontactable man, with huge influence over government policy, parroting anti-vape Bloomberg attack lines, and dispensing unevidenced misinformation? Harm reduction advocates need to mobilise, evidence-based policy making is about to make way for ideologically driven bans.
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.
