The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) has accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of ignoring consumer voices, while empowering influential individuals like American billionaire Michael Bloomberg to advocate for restrictive policies that limit safer alternatives for smokers.
Ahead of the World Conference on Tobacco Control (WCTC) in Dublin, the WVA launched its “Voices Unheard – Consumers Matter!” campaign which aims to highlight the exclusion of consumers from global tobacco and nicotine policy discussions.
Philippine consumer groups, including Vaper Ako, the WVA’s Philippine counterpart, and Consumer Choice Philippines, also denounced the WHO and the Bloomberg Foundation for collaborating to restrict consumer choices in nicotine products.
Joaqui Gallardo, spokesperson for Vaper Ako, said prohibitionist policies dictated by the WHO and the Bloomberg Foundation “alienate smokers, deprive them of their right to choose less harmful products, and demonize the nicotine industry, which could fuel the underground market.”
Gallardo warned that smoking rates in the Philippines have begun rising again after years of stagnation. This trend, he said, is linked to the rapid growth of illegal cigarette and vape markets, where products are sold at significantly lower prices due to heavy taxation on legitimate products.
“Nicotine is not the problem; it’s how it is consumed,” Gallardo said. “Removing smoke in nicotine consumption dramatically reduces exposure to toxicant chemicals. Consumers should have the freedom to choose between cigarettes and less harmful, smoke-free products.”
Adolph Ilas, chairman of Consumer Choice Philippines, said restrictive policies on alternative products will worsen the smoking epidemic.
“While the WHO and Bloomberg Foundation agree that a ban on smoking would exacerbate the problem, they are pushing for a blanket ban on less harmful nicotine products such as vapes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches, which have proven successful in helping millions of smokers quit in Sweden, the United Kingdom and Japan, among others.”
Ilas pushed for embracing tobacco harm reduction as a more effective public health strategy to tackle the global smoking epidemic. “It’s essential for consumers to have a voice and be actively included in the global conversation,” Ilas said.
In light of the upcoming 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) in Geneva, the WVA campaign emphasizes the importance of consumer representation in policymaking. As experts and officials discuss regulations behind closed doors, a WVA light show in Dublin symbolized the voices of adults who have quit smoking with safer alternatives but remain unheard in policy debates.
WVA director Michael Landl criticized the influence of powerful figures like Bloomberg for supporting prohibitionist policies that often disregard consumer perspectives. “Policymakers must listen to those whose lives are directly impacted by these decisions. Evidence, not ideology or the influence of wealthy donors, should guide regulations,” Landl said.
The WVA protest comes amid growing concerns over the WHO’s aggressive stance against harm reduction. Such measures could reverse the progress made by millions of adults who have successfully transitioned away from combustible cigarettes using safer alternatives, the WVA said.
“Safer nicotine alternatives can save lives only if sensible, evidence-based regulation is in place,” said WVA policy and advocacy manager Alberto Gómez Hernández. “Consumers must be included in the conversation. Outdated, dogmatic tobacco control policies that ignore the potential of harm reduction are holding back public health progress.”
As COP11 approaches, the WVA called for genuine consumer inclusion in tobacco control policy, evidence-based harm reduction, and an end to the marginalization of those who stand to benefit most from progressive, life-saving measures.
