The addition of these members is expected to help strengthen the voice of the Alliance and bring additional expertise that will help drive the WVA to fulfill its important work. Former Health Minister Andrew Urushadze said he hopes he can contribute in a way to give more consumers a voice. “It is crucial that consumers are heard and the WVA enables them to raise their voices. Vaping can help many people to quit smoking,saving millions of lives, so it is time that policymakers start to listen to them and to science. That is why I hope I can contribute to this important work. It is a great pleasure to support the WVA.”
Carmine Canino, is believed to be a great contribution to activism in Europe due to his experience as a President of a vape group. “In the coming months, decisive challenges to the future of vaping await us, including the European Beating Cancer Plan, the revision of the European Directive on Tobacco Products (TPD) – which regulates vaping – as well as the discussion on the Tobacco Taxation Directive. This is why it is so important to make our voice heard. It is my pleasure to contribute to the great work of the WVA in this role especially in Europe.”
The ‘Vape Bus’ tour
Last Summer the WVA launched a ‘Vape Bus’ tour, starting its journey in Barcelona. The bus toured Europe with the aim of educating about tobacco harm reduction, as part of the group’s “Back Vaping. Beat Smoking” campaign. The aim has been spreading the message that up to 19 million lives can be saved in Europe alone, if policymakers had to embrace the use of e-cigarettes for the purpose of tobacco harm reduction, such as in the UK.
Speaking about the European bus tour, WVA director Michael Landl, had restated the importance of the message. “We started our journey in Barcelona today because smoking is still the leading cause of preventable diseases in Spain. If Spanish and EU politicians embrace vaping then 2.4 million lives can be saved in Spain, and 19 million in Europe. We want to make 2021, the year that the world embraces one of the greatest public health inventions of the century – vaping. To achieve this, it is vital that the voices of vapers are heard.”
WVA Art Installation Message: “Flavours Matter – Flavours help smokers quit”
