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It’s no secret that the World Health Organization (WHO) largely rejects the idea of vaping and heat-not-burn (HnB) devices as healthier alternatives to cigarettes. And much of the rhetoric coming out of the eighth Conference of the Parties (COP8) this week underscores that the Geneva-based health authority is unlikely to give next-generation products a role in its anti-tobacco policies any time soon.
Discussions have centered on three WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) reports about the progress of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and tobacco advertising, which will signal the direction of global tobacco control policies. And the news is not good for the e-cig industry.
Delegates examined one progress report on regulatory and market developments on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and another calling for the regulation of HnB product ingredients. They also considered a paper arguing that the depiction in entertainment media of tobacco – including e-cigs and HnB devices – boosts youth smoking.
