Department of Health to promote harm reduction at Geneva conference
“Smokers must be told the truth about safety of vapes,” says We Vape
The UK government has pledged to back vaping in front of a hostile audience at the World Health Organization’s COP 11 next month.
In a victory for harm reduction campaigners, Health Minister Ashley Dalton confirmed that members of the yet-to-be-announced UK delegation would state that vapes are “far less harmful” than cigarettes and are an “effective tool to help adults stop smoking”. She reiterated We Vape’s position that children should never vape.
Her comments came in response to a parliamentary question from Conservative MP Jack Rankin about the government’s approach to the five-day WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) conference, which begins in Geneva on 17 November.
Dalton said: “Our position on vaping is clear, that it is less harmful than smoking and can be an effective tool to help adults to stop smoking, but that non-smokers and young people should never vape. The Government has regularly set out this position on vaping at the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and will continue to do so at the upcoming conference.”
She added that officials had attended pre-COP meetings, saying: “These were informative sessions, and the United Kingdom did not make any interventions at these meetings. We have not yet confirmed the UK’s delegation with the World Health Organization. We are aiming to do so shortly.”
The WHO has long come under fire for its hostile stance on harm reduction, including repeated calls for vaping bans, despite clear evidence of its success in helping Sweden become effectively smoke-free and driving down smoking rates in the UK.
Mark Oates, founder of consumer campaign group We Vape, said: “Now that we know the Government is backing vaping at COP 11, it is crucial they follow through by stating this clearly to the public.
“We are in the terrifying position where 53% of the six million smokers in the UK believe vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking.
“Our leaders have a moral and governing duty to correct this dangerous misinformation and make it clear that harm reduction through vaping saves lives. Smokers are losing faith in vapes in the absence of clear government support, so public awareness is key to maximising the life-saving potential of this highly effective tool.”
This year’s COP is being held in Geneva, the WHO’s home city, after none of the 194 member states volunteered to host the event.
Following the United States’ withdrawal of financial support, the UK is now one of the WHO’s largest contributors, donating £170 million of taxpayer money each year.
You can support We Vape’s Back Vaping, Save Lives campaign by writing to your MP to call for their public support of harm reduction ahead of COP 11. Find your MP at parliament.uk and use the template letter available at backvaping.co.uk
