Vaping Weekly: UKVIA Backs Calls to Defund WHO

Want to keep up with everything going on in the vaping industry? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. This week, there have been some important developments from advocacy organisations around the world. Read more about how you can get involved below.

UKVIA backs calls to defund World Health Organization over hostile attacks on vaping

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which advises governments on health policy, has long been opposed to the growing adoption of vaping by smokers, including some extreme stances, such as calling on governments to ban open vaping devices.

Leaked documents reported on by the Daily Express suggest that WHO intends to use the COP9 summit, taking place this summer, as a platform to tell leading global health figures that e-cigarettes are as dangerous as smoking.

This was met with immediate backlash from UK All-Party Parliamentary Group Chair Mark Pawsey MP, who questions why the UK government plans to continue funding WHO, with a projected sum of £340 million over the next four years.

The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is now joining calls for the UK to stop funding WHO, if it continues to issue advice that goes against the UK’s progressive stance on tobacco harm reduction:

“The UKVIA notes that this action flies in the face of the scientific reality of vaping in the UK, which has seen millions of people quit smoking in recent years. Research by British scientists has consistently shown vaping to be the most popular and successful aide to quitting smoking.

The Cochrane Review into e-cigarettes, which is widely recognised as the gold standard in terms of research in this area, highlights that existing studies show that vaping is nearly 50% more effective in helping smokers quit cigarettes than other methods of smoking cessation. The review found that as many as 11% of smokers using a nicotine e‐cigarette to stop smoking might successfully stop, compared to only 6% of smokers using nicotine‐replacement therapy or nicotine‐free e‐cigarettes, or 4% of people having no support or behavioural support only.”

John Dune, Director General of UKVIA said:

“The stance of the World Health Organization is extremely concerning. The vaping industry here in the UK, together with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping, is right to call out these baseless attacks on the sector. Vaping is a great British success story, enabling millions of people to switch from smoking.”

He added: “The APPG is also right to call for the UK Government to reconsider the level of its funding to the World Health Organization in light of these reports. Thankfully now that the UK has left the EU it is no longer bound by the ridiculous and quite frankly dangerous WHO messaging urging the bloc to treat vaping in the same way as smoking.”

US judge rules against Juul and Altria in youth marketing lawsuit

In 2020, Juul and Altria were accused of racketeering (a term which refers to fraudulent business practices, in the context of civil or criminal liability) for allegedly marketing their products directly to minors. Both companies insist that these allegations are false and that their marketing strategies have developed substantially since the launch of Juul.

The plaintiffs, which include municipal governments and school districts across the U.S., lost their first round of racketeering claims in October 2020. In the time since, Judge William Orrick has sided with plaintiffs on the latest claims, directed at five current and former Juul executives.

In a 30-page order issued April 13, 2021, Judge Orrick stated that the new claims were legally sufficient based on additional allegations about individual directors’  “numerical control of the board, knowledge about Juul’s youth appeal and the growth of under-age users, significant involvement in marketing decisions, and unusually active roles in management and decisions from which they profited billions of dollars”.

You can find a full timeline of Juul’s current legal battles, originally reported by Vaping Post here.

Ex-smokers in New Zealand called to give input on Government’s smoke-free plan

New Zealand policymakers have generally taken a cautious but progressive approach to vaping in their tobacco harm reduction plans, including a dedicated website, which seeks to educate smokers about vaping as a cessation tool.

The Ministry of Health’s website, which displays statements such as “vaping is less harmful than smoking” and “vaping can help you quit smoking” are among the strongest pro-vaping statements of any government.

In August 2020, the government passed new legislation which prohibited advertisement of e-cigarettes and restricted the sale of flavored products to specialist stores, among other measures.

Now, the government is considering new proposals on tobacco and e-cigarettes, which has prompted the Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA) to call on ex-smokers in New Zealand to share their experiences with smoking cessation.

AVCA co-director Nancy Loucas said: “The Government is waving around its smoke-free proposals, yet it’s tightening the screws on vaping – the world’s most effective smoking cessation tool. It makes no sense, so we’re calling on ex-smokers to tell the Government that vaping is key to smokefree,”

The hope is that input from ex-smokers, particularly those who quit via vaping, can help the government form sensible plans to achieve its smoke-free 2025 goal. You can find more information about the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan and have your say here.

IBVTA launches battery stewardship guide

The Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) has launched its first comprehensive guide to battery stewardship and compliance for UK vaping businesses.

This comprehensive guide, created in partnership with industry-leading experts, aims to assist vaping businesses of all sizes supplying the UK market with devices which use internal or external batteries.

The guide is broken down into detailed sections, designed for easy navigation by people with all levels of technical and compliance knowledge. The guide seeks to educate professionals at all levels of the supply chain on best practices, with sections on:

• Relevant regulations
• Product safety
• Battery standards
• Shipping
• UN Transportation Testing
• Environmental disposal
• Consumer rights
• Product liability
• Useful links

You can find an executive summary of the IBVTA battery stewardship guide here.