When the Consumer Choice Center approached me asking if I was interested in heading up an alliance of vapers my first reaction was: this is very personal.

Why announce publicly that I’ve just rid myself of a habit that was slowly killing me off? But when I learned a bit about the political debate around vaping I rapidly realised that I must get involved.

The debate around vaping involves multiple players, some of whom have a serious misunderstanding of both the science and what it means to be a vaper.

Big decisions around the future of vaping will be made in the coming years, both at global level with the WHO considering regulating e-cigarettes like tobacco, and with the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive under review.

The WVA speaks for vapers – both present and future – around the world, and it will fight for their right to choose the best known escape tool to date – vaping -to help them to break free of tobacco smoking addiction.

If vapers are not heard in these debates, then vaping may be lost and this massive public health opportunity will be lost with it. You will have seen from my previous blog the dramatic impact vaping has made to my life. I am not unique. Vaping can change millions of lives for the better and we deserve better from our lawmakers and public health officials

As we face Covid-19, even more misinformation is flooding the networks on vaping. People are, wrongly, saying that vaping is as dangerous as smoking (even though it is proven to be 95% safer) and that it can spread the coronavirus (which again has been proven not to be true).

Pragmatists like me argue that offering an exit door to smoking addiction is more important than ever, and that people who have made the switch mustn’t be tempted back through lack of access to vaping products. Similarly those still smoking can’t easily ignore the heightened threat to health posed by COVID 19. They need the vaping alternative more than ever.

That’s where the WVA comes in. It speaks for vapers – both present and future – around the world, and it will fight for their right to choose the best known escape tool to date – vaping -to help them to break free of tobacco smoking addiction.