Amidst the fraught debate on harm reduction policies, vaping is on the verge of facing more flavour bans and even more severe restrictions. Many politicians are calling for vaping to be treated the same as smoking, even though science tells us to do the very opposite.

With the upcoming COP9 and TPD, it has never been so crucial for vape consumers and organisations to show a united front against the potential restrictions and raise their voices.

We need to stand up and be counted. We need to tell policymakers to leave our vapes alone!

This is why the World Vapers’ Alliance recently launched the Back Vaping. Beat Smoking campaign.

By joining us in this fight, you can deliver a clear message to decision-makers around the world: the best way we can beat smoking is to promote vaping as part of public health policies.

The World Vapers’ Alliance unifies 25 partner organisations across the globe. All of them joined and are supporting the #BackVapingBeatSmoking campaign. This blog will introduce some of the leaders among our partners and their stance on vaping and our campaign.

Here is what they have to say:

Francisco Ordonez – ASOVAPE Colombia

Francisco is the founder and president of Asovape Colombia. Francisco’s achievements in the fight for vaping are recognized not only in Colombia but all across Latin America.

ASOVAPE is a group of citizens that is fighting to bring a debate to the Congress of the Republic to shape their opinion regarding the classification of electronic cigarettes and related products.

About joining the Back Vaping. Beat Smoking campaign, Francisco says:

“The users of nicotine administration products must unite around this campaign to defend our right to freely choose the alternative that helps us quit smoking and open the doors to smokers to encourage them to quit tobacco through these products, thus reducing the damage generated by smoking.”

Kurt Yeo – Vaping Saved My Life

Kurt is a vaping enthusiast and the co-founder of Vaping Saved My Life, which was started in mid-2017. Kurt had been a heavy smoker for more than two decades. After many failed attempts using traditional and approved methods, Kurt found that vaping was the solution that finally helped them quit smoking.

Vaping Saved My Life now dedicates its time to not only sharing and educating on the benefits of switching to less harmful products but also dispelling the ever-present misrepresentation of science and constant spread of misinformation on the topic.

“For far too long smokers have been on the ‘butt’ end of policy and regulations, with no real solutions to help them escape the harm of combustible tobacco. For almost 2 decades a solution has been presented itself, in the form of vaping, which has proven time and time again, not only to be less harmful but very effective in helping smokers escape the scourge of smoking. A culture of misrepresentation of facts and moral panic has derailed all the good that could be achieved by displacing tobacco and the associated harms. It is time we stand together as consumers and fight for vapers’ rights and the rights of smokers wishing to quit. This is why VSML has chosen to Back Vaping, and Beat Smoking.”

Cristiano Batista – APORVAP

Cristiano Batista is the president of APORVAP. The main mission of the organisation is to defend the use of personal vapes based on the evidence that vaping is a less harmful method of nicotine consumption rather than tobacco products.

APORVAP has been actively fighting against all the misinformation, excessive restrictions, and high taxation on vaping.

About the BVBS campaign, Cristiano states:

“The lack of recognition that vaping only needs to be recognized as safer and less harmful than smoking, as well as an effective method of smoking cessation, rather than innocuous, creates a negative attitude towards them. The emphasis, by bodies with responsibilities within public health, the media, and tobacco control systems, on their possible negative aspects, often conditioned by lobbies, is an unforgivable barrier to their contribution. The adoption of a multidimensional approach to balance these two extremes should be strongly considered, in order not to undermine the possibility of combating, more effectively than ever, the scourge of smoking.”

Want to find out more about the Back Vaping. Beat Smoking campaign and how to join it? Find out all about it on our website, join us and Back Vaping!