Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Expert criticises WHO report on e-cigarettes for misrepresenting evidence

Expert criticises WHO report on e-cigarettes for misrepresenting evidence
iStock
Getty Images

A leading tobacco and alcohol researcher from University College London has criticised a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO), titled "Hooking the next generation: how the tobacco industry captures young customers", for making claims that do not accurately reflect current evidence on e-cigarettes.

Dr. Sarah Jackson, principal research fellow at UCL’s Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, argued that the WHO report misrepresents the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool.


“The report suggests there is ‘insufficient evidence’ that e-cigarettes are effective in helping people to stop smoking. In fact, a Cochrane review on this topic (recognised worldwide as the highest standard in evidence-based healthcare) has concluded that there is ‘high-certainty evidence’ from randomised controlled trials that e-cigarettes increase quit rates compared to nicotine replacement therapy,” Dr. Jackson stated.

She highlighted that the most recent Cochrane review included 88 trials with more than 27,000 participants and was supported by numerous observational studies.

Dr. Jackson also took issue with the report’s stance on the harm reduction potential of e-cigarettes. “The report suggests it is misleading to suggest that e-cigarettes offer a form of harm reduction compared to smoking cigarettes. Large evidence reviews, conducted independent of industry, consistently conclude that while vaping is not risk-free, it poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking tobacco,” she emphasised.

Regarding the concern that e-cigarettes could serve as a gateway to smoking, particularly among non-smoking youth, Dr. Jackson acknowledged the widespread nature of this concern but noted the lack of causal evidence.

“Little evidence currently suggests this association is causal: just because vaping precedes smoking does not mean vaping causes smoking,” she explained. Dr. Jackson pointed out that if vaping caused smoking, declines in smoking rates would slow or reverse with increased vaping, but data indicates the opposite trend.

Prof Nick Hopkinson, professor of respiratory medicine at Imperial College London, however supported WHO's stance on the aggressive marketing tactics employed by the tobacco industry, emphasising that, although vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking and has proven effective in helping smokers quit, targeting youth through e-cigarette marketing is wholly unacceptable.

“Governments around the world need to take steps to introduce and enforce regulations to stop this," Prof Hopkinson, who also serves as the chair of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), stated.

He criticised the UK government's previous failures to regulate e-cigarette marketing and implement an excise tax on these products. He also lamented the recent halt of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aimed to raise the legal age of sale and mitigate youth vaping, due to the prime minister's decision to call a snap election.

“Whatever happens at the election, the next government will need to move swiftly to reintroduce these vital public health measures,” he said.

More for you

Edmonton city council debates bylaw to ban sale of knives in convenience stores

iStock image

Edmonton city council debates bylaw to ban sale of knives in convenience stores

Edmonton city council is discussing what it would take to ban knives from being sold in convenience stores, state recent reports.

A key issue during the community and public services committee held on Monday (20) was wading through the potential legal ramifications of defining what a knife is and whether some businesses owners may try to find loopholes to be able to sell knives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Things to know about new Simpler Recycling reforms

iStock image

Things to know about new Simpler Recycling reforms

With just 70 days left to go until the government’s new Simpler Recycling reforms are implemented, most businesses are not prepared for the changes in the rule, claims a leading business waste management service.

Although the UK's overall recycling rate has seen a significant rise, reaching 44 per cent in 2015 compared to just 17 per cent in 2008, progress has plateaued in recent years, with indications that the rate may now be declining.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lioncroft Wholesale founder made Aston University’s new Chancellor

Lioncroft Wholesale founder made Aston University’s new Chancellor

Birmingham entrepreneur and leading wholesale figure Dr Jason Wouhra OBE has been officially installed as Aston University’s new Chancellor.

Dr Wouhra, Aston University’s youngest Chancellor and the first of Asian heritage, was presented with the chancellor’s chain at the beginning of the University’s first winter graduation which was held at Symphony Hall in Birmingham city centre. Spread across three ceremonies, approximately 4,500 graduates and guests attended the event.

Keep ReadingShow less
New buying group shares future vision

New buying group shares future vision

In addition to announcing six brand new members within the first week of January, the new buying group The Wholesale Group last week hosted two briefing events for senior suppliers where it shared details of its plans and future vision.

The senior supplier briefing event, held at Soho Hotel, London last week, saw more than 50 channel directors in attendance plus 150 representatives from leading FMCG suppliers, across all product categories.

Keep ReadingShow less
vape pen
Photo: iStock

Safer alternatives to cigarettes could save millions of lives and billions of pounds, says think tank

Promoting safer alternatives to cigarettes could save 19 million years of life by 2030 and reduce smoking-related costs to taxpayers by up to £12.6 billion annually, a new report from the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) has revealed.

The think tank argues that the UK government's current approach to achieving a Smoke Free 2030 - defined as reducing smoking rates to 5 per cent or lower - is both illiberal and unworkable and will significantly set back progress against smoking related harm. The ASI warns that policies such as a generational tobacco ban, a new tax on vapes, and restrictions on heated tobacco products and flavours will hinder harm reduction efforts.

Keep ReadingShow less