Two more years of unqualified attacks on vape/new tobacco products before thorough review starts
The World Health Organization (WHO) doubled down in its efforts against new tobacco products with its latest report highlighting the “increasing threats” these products allegedly pose, while at the same time postponing the chance for all relevant parties to have an informed discussion on the growing amount of evidence that proves otherwise at the upcoming Ninth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP9).
WHO’s eighth report on the global tobacco “epidemic” that was released at the end of July presented for the first time new data on electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as e-cigarettes. Said “data” included the fact(oid) that children who use electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDs), such as e-cigarettes, are up to three times more likely to use tobacco products in the future. The organization also recommended more regulations on ENDs to “stop non-smokers from getting addicted in the first place, to prevent renormalization of smoking in the community, and protect future generations.”
WHO’s opposition to new tobacco products is nothing new; the organization has been unfaltering in its stance for the last decade since e-cigarettes became popular. But what is ironic is that for an agency that is meant to be an authoritative body in setting the global health agenda based on scientific research and evidence, WHO seems to be shutting down any chance for substantive discussion when it comes to new tobacco products possibly not being as harmful as WHO would have the world believe.
In an annotated provisional agenda for COP9, which is to be held virtually this November, the FCTC secretariat said, “The bureau decided that the reports prepared by WHO [comprehensive report on research and evidence on novel and emerging tobacco products, contained in document FCTC/COP/9/9)] and by the Convention Secretariat [Challenges posed by and classification of novel and emerging tobacco products, contained in document FCTC/COP/9/10], should be presented for information and that related substantive discussions should be deferred to COP10.”
This means at least another two years of WHO pushing its agenda which could induce more harm, rather than reduce harm, by taking away lower-risk alternatives to combustible tobacco, especially in lower to middle income countries where WHO has more influence, all while ignoring (and shuttering other countries from seeing) scientific evidence that proves that agenda to be, at the very least, faulty.