President Joe Biden has unveiled what is claimed to be “an ambitious plan” to cut the cancer death rate in half over the next 25 years. It consists of an impressive list of actions but fails to make any mention of the part vaping could play in combatting tobacco-related harm. The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) says it “misses the mark” and called upon the Biden Administration to join countries like the United Kingdom and Sweden in prioritising tobacco harm reduction.

Proposals in the Cancer Moonshot include:

• $240 million in additional investment this year to accelerate new ways to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer
• A new “biomedical data fabric toolbox” to advance cancer research progress
• New investments to reduce the impact of menthol and other flavoured commercial tobacco products in communities that experience health disparities
• A new plan to decrease the impact of smoking on Americans’ health by expanding efforts to prevent smoking and to support everyone who wants to quit
• A new pilot program to increase veteran engagement in tobacco use treatment
• New resources and actions to reduce exposures to environmental carcinogens
• Leveraging research in space to fight cancer on earth and amplifying awareness on cancer screening

In particular, it also lays out plans where CVS Health will be, “launching an expanded smoking cessation program in a dozen states. In addition to their currently offered smoking cessation and counselling, CVS Health will launch a comprehensive smoking cessation assessment, prescribing and counselling program at its retail pharmacies in 12 states”.

The World Vapers’ Alliance said: “The President’s cancer moonshot initiative aims to reduce smoking rates, but the WVA argues that it could be far more effective by embracing less harmful alternatives to smoking, such as vaping.”

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