Fight against smoking, will the vape soon be regulated?

At a European conference in Berlin last month, tobacco control pledges to align new regulations for vaping and heated tobacco with that of traditional tobacco.

Fewer borders between Vape and Tobacco?

Indeed, from February 19 to 22, the 8th European Conference on Tobacco and Health (ECTOH) was held in Berlin.

It was chaired by famous anti-tobacco activist Luk Joossens, the author of the Belgian tobacco war book. This conference brought together several tobacco control associations, health professionals, various representatives of the European Commission as well as major brands in the pharmaceutical world.

New evaluation criterion enables European tobacco control policies to increase the efforts made by each country to combat the illicit tobacco trade, which costs to European Union the sum of 10 billion euros per year.

Several countries have adopted this criterion by ratifying the new protocol of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the elimination of the illicit tobacco trade.

Spies in the conference

As various NGO representatives spoke and explained their vision for smoking, the conference organizers were forced to interrupt and take the microphone to denounce the presence of members of the tobacco industry in the room.

Some representatives allegedly managed to infiltrate by posing as representatives of the Foundation for a Smoke Free Word, an association whose name sounds like an association for the fight against tobacco, but which, actually, is funded by Philip Morris International.

Its purpose would be to collect information on tobacco control efforts and the creation of a new market for alternative tobacco products such as vaping or heated tobacco.

According to their statement, "participants recognized that the tobacco industry continues to launch and promote new harmful and addictive products to keep consumers and attract new ones." In addition, they said they were "alarmed by the increase in tobacco and nicotine consumption through new products such as heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes".

They expressed their wish to see a healthy Europe which aims to eliminate smoking, reduce the harmful consumption of nicotine and promote clean indoor air.