“The WHO got it totally wrong on Covid-19, and it’s no surprise they’ve also got it very wrong with safer nicotine products such as vaping,” said the head of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), Nancy Loucas. 

“The World Health Organization’s failure to declare a global emergency in 2020 will be repeated in 2021 when the WHO will likely abandon international tobacco harm reduction efforts and condemn millions of smokers to an early death,” added Loucas in a recent press release.

The passionate tobacco harm reduction advocate is the chief organizer of this week’s round-the-clock sCOPe broadcast, which was organized with the aim of scrutinizing the WHO’s COP9 for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). “sCOPe – the information antidote to the secretive WHO COP9 – is a five-day YouTube simulcast starting on Monday, 8 November, read the release.

sCOPe
sCOPe aims to give vapers a seat at the table, since they were excluded from any discussions taking place at COP9.

The global broadcast will be hosting THR experts and consumer advocates for safer nicotine products and aims to give vapers a seat at the table, since they were excluded from any discussions taking place at COP9. sCOPe is being currently simulcast on YouTube at https://bit.ly/3aWBPxi and on Facebook.

Loucas rightly highlighted that COP9 delegates should be open to hearing all the evidence about anything related to tobacco harm reduction, but sadly, the opposite is true. “COP 9 delegates should be open to everything that has the evidence showing reduced harm, and can reduce, and ultimately prevent, eight million annual smoking-related deaths worldwide. Yet they close their minds to vaping as the best emerging tobacco harm reduction solution.”

“..COP9 delegates close their eyes and ears to a harm reduction option”

Meanwhile, the WHO continues to scaremonger, against proven and viable harm reduced alternatives. “We’re appalled that the WHO and COP9 delegates close their eyes and ears to a harm reduction option already proving itself by getting hard-core smokers to quit when established options have failed. It’s a triumph of ideology over science,” said Loucas.

The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) has also spoken up. This week the group’s iconic electric pink ‘Vape Bus’, drove through the streets of Geneva broadcasting the voices of vapers, relaying personal stories on how vaping helped them quit smoking and change their lives. “We came here today to make sure that vapers’ voices are heard, and that vaping is at the forefront of smoking cessation policies worldwide. Vaping can save 200 million lives globally, and it is imperative that COP9 delegates understand the real-life stories of people who have been able to quit smoking thanks to vaping,” said the group’s director, Michael Landl.

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