The World Health Organization’s just-released ‘eighth annual report on the global tobacco epidemic’ is sadly more proof
that billionaire foundations are more influential on the WHO’s public health guidance than leading international
scientific evidence, says Asia Pacific’s leading Tobacco Harm Reduction consumer advocacy group.
CAPHRA (Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates) says the WHO’s latest attack on safer nicotine
products, reportedly funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, deserves the global condemnation it is receiving.CAPHRA's Executive Coordinator says rather than trying to ban the world’s most effective smoking cessation tools, the
WHO should be promoting their availability to adults.
“Without any substantive evidence, WHO’s Director-General claims ‘electronic nicotine delivery systems are harmful’.
It’s an outrageous statement when vaping and other safer nicotine products continue to save the lives of millions of
ex-smokers across the globe,” says Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA.
She says rather than trying to ban the world’s most effective smoking cessation tools, the WHO should be promoting their
availability to adults, and progressive risk-proportionate regulatory guidelines for countries to adopt.CAPHRA notes that American billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s influence is now so profound that he even appears in the
WHO’s 27 July media statement on its latest tobacco report.
“Not only does WHO wrongly claim vaping is harmful, but it warns it could act as a gateway to tobacco consumption. That
claim also counters current evidence which proves vaping is an extremely effective off-ramp from smoking – not an
on-ramp to smoking,” she says.
WHO’s eighth annual report says ‘threats posed by new nicotine and tobacco products’ need to be tackled. It claims
‘countries around the world are making progress in the fight against tobacco but some still need to address new products
such as e-cigarettes.’
“WHO completely fails to comprehend that many countries seeing falling smoking rates are the same countries that have
positively regulated the adult availability of safer nicotine products. They are not mutually exclusive.
“If you want fewer people to die from cigarette use, you make safer alternatives available. It’s that simple. Sadly, too
much billionaire money is now tied up discrediting vaping for the WHO to recommend Tobacco Harm Reduction guidance that
will actually save lives,” she says.
CAPHRA says the WHO’s public health approach to reducing the world’s 1.1 billion smokers, and eight million annual
smoking-related deaths, not only continues to fail but its target has shifted for distraction purposes.
“Despite the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control being drafted years before the arrival of vaping, the WHO
increasingly wants to ban nicotine products across the board. Nicotine is addictive but it’s not a killer, yet the WHO
fails to differentiate between deadly combustible cigarettes and safer nicotine products. Signatory countries, and their
millions of citizens desperate to quit smoking, deserve better,” she says.
CAPHRA notes that American billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s influence is now so profound that he even appears in the
WHO’s 27 July media statement on its latest tobacco report. There he claims that tobacco companies’ goal is simple: ‘To
hook another generation on nicotine. We can’t let this happen,’ says Bloomberg.
“Completely compromised reports like this only confirm the WHO’s reputation and relevance as a provider of global health
advice has never been poorer. Over 100 million ex-smokers across the world now use safer nicotine products. The WHO
should be pushing for many more, not demonizing them and their right to choose,” says Nancy Loucas.
Consumer groups in the Asia Pacific region have also launched a petition at change.org/v4v-petition that urges the World Health Organization to respect consumer rights and to stop demonizing Tobacco Harm Reduction
options ahead of the next biennial meeting of the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in November.
For a free digital media repository on tobacco harm reduction in Asia Pacific - including media releases, images and
graphics - please visit https://apthrmedia.orgAbout CAPHRA
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates (CAPHRA) is a regional alliance of consumer tobacco harm reduction
advocacy organizations. Its mission is to educate, advocate and represent the right of adult alternative nicotine
consumers to access and use of products that reduce harm from tobacco use.