The World Health Organization calls on governments around the world to take “urgent action” to eliminate e-cigarettes and ban flavored additives, warning that they should be treated equally to other similar products, as the large tobacco industry uses these harmful products to build legitimacy and aggressively market them to children.
Key Facts
“It is essential to take urgent action” to protect children, non-smokers, and the population at large from the “terrifying health consequences” of e-cigarettes, according to the World Health Organization.
The World Health Organization acknowledged that e-cigarettes, also known as electronic cigarettes or vapes, can play a role in helping people quit smoking, but warned that nicotine-containing products “are highly addictive” and should be strictly regulated as medicines rather than being issued as consumer products in the open market.
Evidence Indicates Ineffectiveness of E-Cigarettes in Smoking Cessation
The World Health Organization confirmed that e-cigarettes are not “effective in reducing tobacco use” at the population level when sold as consumer products, noting that large tobacco companies have used these new products to “gain a seat at the table of government policy-making to promote against health policies.”
The World Health Organization accused the tobacco industry of using “false evidence” to promote e-cigarettes as a harm reduction tool, while at the same time “continuing to sell billions of cigarettes” and aggressively marketing e-cigarettes “to children, adolescents, and young people.”
Guidance for Governments
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, stated that “children are being attracted and targeted at a young age to use e-cigarettes and may become addicted to nicotine,” urging countries to “protect their citizens” and implement “strict measures to prevent use.”
The World Health Organization noted that countries that already ban the sale of e-cigarettes should strengthen enforcement of laws and continue to support public health efforts to reduce tobacco use, advising countries that allow the commercial sale of e-cigarettes to impose taxes on them, ban flavored additives, restrict permissible nicotine concentration and quality, and take steps to “reduce their appeal.”
Main Background
E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid to create vapor that is inhaled. This liquid typically contains nicotine, the compound that makes cigarettes addictive. Evidence suggests that e-cigarettes are much less harmful than smoking, as they do not produce many of the dangerous chemicals associated with burning tobacco, such as carbon monoxide and tar, and can be used as a tool to help people control cravings and quit smoking altogether. Amid increasing criticisms of smoking worldwide, large tobacco companies like Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco have shifted to business models focused on smoke-free products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco as the future of the industry and are facing new competition from startups like Juul. The industry, which has a documented history of ignoring or questioning evidence showing that its products cause harm, criticized the World Health Organization’s opposition to e-cigarettes and similar products, considering it a missed opportunity to reduce smoking. Tobacco kills about 8 million people annually, according to the World Health Organization, which states that “the tobacco epidemic is one of the largest public health threats the world has ever faced.” Of these deaths, around 1.3 million are due to exposure to secondhand smoke. A large figure of $462 million. This is the amount that e-cigarette maker Juul Labs agreed to pay in April to settle allegations that it had marketed its products to minors in six U.S. states. The company has now reached a settlement of more than $1 billion with 45 states and has not admitted to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
What
We Do Not Know
We do not know the long-term health effects of electronic smoking. Although it is certainly less harmful than smoking – which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “harms nearly all organs in the body, causes many diseases, and reduces overall health in smokers” – electronic smoking is not completely innocent. The World Health Organization has pointed out that electronic smoking has been shown to produce “toxic substances, some of which are known to cause cancer and some increase the risk of heart and lung diseases” and can affect brain development and lead to learning disorders. Additionally, electronic smoking can affect fetal development if used during pregnancy and poses “risks to bystanders.” The World Health Organization has been stating for years that electronic smoking products are not safe. Its stance aligns with its long-standing opposition to the tobacco industry, which it says “profits from destroying health.”
Critical Quote
“There is a concerning increase in the use of e-cigarettes among children and young people, with usage rates surpassing those of adults in many countries,” said Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at the World Health Organization. Companies are targeting “children through social media and influencers,” offering a wide range of flavors (at least 16,000 flavors) and incorporating cartoon characters and “sleek” designs on their products, Krech said.
Further Reading
Tobacco’s Big Transition Under Fire as WHO Targets E-Cigarettes (Reuters)
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