Whitepaper challenges WHO stance on e-cigarettes.

A whitepaper has criticized the World Health Organization's (WHO) opposition to the e-cigarette movement. Nancy Loucas, the Executive Coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), stated that the document greatly helps to expose the WHO's misleading rhetoric aimed at smokers and decision-makers.

Nancy Loucas stated that "this white paper completely discredits and refutes the prevalent notion among young people that e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking.

After compiling and publishing the book "Disrupting Public Health: A Consumer Perspective," several leading international experts in tobacco harm reduction (THR) criticized the World Health Organization's stance, which attracted considerable attention from readers and the media. Her commentary was among those critiques.

Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in e-cigarette use among high schoolers and young people. However, fortunately, there has been a significant decrease in e-cigarette use since reaching its peak in 2019. During the same period, smoking rates have continued to decline to record lows. The authors of a new report suggest that these trends contradict using e-cigarettes as a gateway to smoking.

The document points out that e-cigarettes among adolescents and young adults are a legitimate concern. However, it provides a comprehensive reference for doctors, researchers, and government funding agencies, all of whom refute any claims about the gateway theory.

The white paper provides a wealth of the latest information on e-cigarette patterns among American youth and young adults. There is no doubt that e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking, not a slope," said Ms. Loucas.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the youth e-cigarette rate in the United States has been steadily declining since 2020. CDC data shows that over the past two years, youth e-cigarette use has plummeted by 60%. The white paper states that only 3.1% of high school-aged students and 0.3% of middle school-aged students use e-cigarettes on a daily basis.

We are simply demanding regulations based on evidence and objective policy discussions, decisions, and risk assessment. In November 2023, the world will witness the tenth session of the Conference of the Parties, where attention will be focused on the World Health Organization and many international representatives, whether they will finally start accepting evidence instead of perpetuating the stigma against safer nicotine products," said Ms. Loucas.

Recently, nine member organizations of CAPHRA wrote letters to FCTC delegates from around the world, as well as health ministers and leaders, urging them to review evidence supporting THR methods before COP10.

The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) will be held in Panama and hosted by the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

We will continue to disseminate and challenge key aspects of the World Health Organization's recommendations to the signatories and representatives of the FCTC, regarding the most effective tools for smoking cessation," said Nancy Loucas.

Ms. Loucas presented "Subverting Public Health: A Consumer's Perspective" at the recent 5th Asia Harm Reduction Forum (AHRF 2022).