International THR Experts Speak Out Against WHO's E-Cigarette Statements

Several leading international experts on tobacco harm reduction (THR) have compiled and published extensive research, criticizing the World Health Organization's (WHO) official health statement on electronic cigarettes. The paper, entitled "Disrupting Public Health: Consumer Perspectives," refutes the WHO's claim that "never-smoking youth who use ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery systems) are at 2x higher risk of smoking initiation in the future.

Using ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery systems) does not lead to smoking. Rather, the same influences that push young people to smoke also make them inclined to use ENDS. These factors may include genetics, family situation, mental health, school environment, crime, and risk-taking. This is known as "shared responsibility," according to the paper.

The 'gateway effect' has been repeatedly proven to be false. Vaping is an exit from smoking, not an entrance. Rest assured, if e-cigarettes are not readily available, the majority of young people who vape will either switch to traditional cigarettes or quit altogether," stated Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).

We strongly oppose underage vaping, but we must also remember that smoking behind the bike sheds in the past was much more detrimental to health," she added.

What really infuriates us at THR advocates is that the World Health Organization keeps comparing deadly smoking with much less harmful products, making them appear equally dangerous. This is a deliberate comparison that only leads to serious health consequences, as people may give up vaping and go back to smoking or not switch to safer nicotine products in the first place," Ms. Lucas continued.

Regarding the World Health Organization's claim that there is increasing evidence that electronic cigarettes can cause lung damage, the white paper considers this a "shameful and outright lie.

There is no mounting evidence to suggest that ENDS may have caused the type of lung injury outbreak seen in the United States between June and December 2019. On the contrary, since July 2019, an increasing amount of evidence has pointed to the fact that the current outbreak is, in fact, definitively linked to ENDS," the author countered.

We will continue to release key parts of our review of the WHO guidelines, which provide astonishing insights to signatories and representatives of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

What we are asking for is evidence-based and objective policy discussion, decision-making, and regulation that is proportional to the risks. This is how the FCTC will reduce the harm caused by combustible and unsafe tobacco products worldwide," said Nancy Loucas.

The author also disagrees with the World Health Organization's assertion that both tobacco products and ENDS pose health risks, and the associated risks may depend on a range of factors, some related to the product usage and some related to individual users.

No respected scientist believes that ENDS come close to the risks associated with smoking. The white paper states that the question of whether electronic cigarettes are more dangerous than combustible cigarettes is an absolute scandal and is intended to introduce biased anchoring.

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