The Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA) has written to New Zealand’s Associate Health Minister, Jenny Salesa, urging her to reject inaccurate claims by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on smoke-free nicotine products.
Earlier this year, the AVCA sent another letter to Salesa, asking the health ministry to reveal their official position on e-cigarettes, as they intend to present it at the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
The meeting of the Ninth Session of Parties (COP9) of WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will take place at The Hague next November. The WHO is renowned for its harsh stance on safer tobacco alternatives, hence why the AVCA is asking the Kiwi Government to share and make public the position they intend on taking on smoke-free nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes.
“As the Government is sending delegates to COP9, and as consumers’ rights to choose to use less harmful products to switch from smoking remain under tremendous threat from FCTC’s continuing failure to address scientific evidence, democratic processes and human rights, we respectfully request that you share with us the details of our nation’s position being presented in November by our delegation,” stated the letter signed by AVCA directors Nancy Loucas, Steven Dohmen, Jan Walsh, and Leon Coertze.
Authorities should focus on scientific evidence
In this follow up letter, the AVCA is urging the Health Ministry to support current global scientific evidence instead. “We sincerely urge your delegates to the COP9 to uphold ‘right to health’ and the implementation of tobacco harm reduction based on factual scientific evidence, as the key strategy for tobacco control addressing the existing gaps,” writes the association.
AVCA Director Nancy Loucas, pointed out once again that consumers have been effectively excluded by the WHO-FCTC, so it is entirely up to the Ministry of Health to represent the interests of the Kiwi public. “We need you to represent our interests based on pragmatic decisions based on current scientific evidence and verified information on the benefits of the reduced risk products.”
“There are numerous scientific studies and statistical evidence reports that prove the harms of these products are no more than five percent of the harms of combustible tobacco. Nicotine is no more addictive than caffeine, and hundreds of thousands of smokers worldwide have been successful switching off combustible tobacco using ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery systems), HTPs (heated tobacco products) as well as snus,” wrote the AVCA
Vapesourcing Opinion:
Many scientific experiments have shown that electronic cigarettes are healthier, but the WHO inaccurately claims that ENDS and smokeless alternatives do not help smokers quit smoking. This vested interest has coloured the information in order to serve the political and financial interests. The WHO is lying to you to protect their own financial interests and keep their private donors happy.
