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Tag: WVA

  • WVA Holds Light Protest Ahead of COP11

    WVA Holds Light Protest Ahead of COP11

    The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) staged a light show protest by projecting messages on the Geneva International Conference Centre, home to the upcoming COP11 meetings that begin November 17. The WVA said it was drawing attention to what the group calls misinformation and exclusion of consumer voices in global tobacco control debates. The WVA criticized the World Health Organization’s stance on vaping and nicotine alternatives, arguing that restrictive policies could undermine harm reduction efforts, particularly in the Caribbean.

    The protest is part of the WVA’s “Voices Unheard – Consumers Matter” campaign, which urges Caribbean governments to pursue evidence-based approaches rather than blanket bans.

  • Vapers’ Alliance Challenges WHO Ahead of COP11

    Vapers’ Alliance Challenges WHO Ahead of COP11

    As the World Health Organization’s COP11 tobacco-control conference approaches, the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) is calling for consumers to be heard, projecting messages onto the venue demanding inclusion in policy discussions. WVA Director Michael Landl criticized the event as “an echo chamber stuck in outdated, anti-science thinking.”

    “Harm reduction isn’t a marketing ploy, it’s a public health necessity supported by hard data,” Landl said. “Consumers’ lives matter more than ideology or the views of wealthy WHO donors like Michael Bloomberg. It’s time consumers got a real seat at the table.”

    The group warned that WHO proposals to ban flavored vaping, cap nicotine levels, and raise taxes ignore scientific evidence that vaping and nicotine pouches are less harmful alternatives for smokers. WVA’s Liza Katsiashvili cautioned that bans and high taxes would only drive consumers to cigarettes or black markets, urging delegates to “listen to the facts, not ideology.” The WVA’s “Voices Unheard – Consumers Matter” campaign calls for governments to prioritize evidence-based regulation and give consumers a voice in global tobacco policy.

  • Vape Group Denounces EU Vape Tax Proposal

    Vape Group Denounces EU Vape Tax Proposal

    Photo: Orlando Bellini | Adobe Stock

    The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) has denounced the EU’s leaked plan to increase vaping taxes, according to the U.K. Vaping Industry Association.

    “The [EU] Commission claims that higher taxes will improve public health, but the reality is the exact opposite,” said WVA Director Michael Landl. “A less harmful alternative, such as vaping, must be affordable for ordinary smokers trying to quit cigarettes. If the commission wants to reduce the burden of smoking on public health, they must make vaping more affordable and accessible, not less.

    “High taxes hit the least advantaged people most. In times of multiple crises and people struggling to make ends meet, making vaping more expensive is the opposite of what we need. Policymakers must understand that tax increases on vaping will force people back to smoking or the black market, a scenario nobody wants. In times of crisis, people shouldn’t be further punished by an unscientific and ideological fight against vaping. This must be stopped,” said Landl.

    “Rather than fighting vaping, the EU finally must embrace tobacco harm reduction. What we need is risk-based regulation. Vaping is 95 percent less harmful than smoking and, therefore, must not be treated the same way as conventional smoking,” added Landl.