As night descended on the surging streets of London, the We Vape campaign team was readying itself to project a life-saving message.
Our important, yet harrowing two-minute video makes it clear to the government you either Back Vaping and Save Lives, or leave smokers to die a horrific, preventable death.
The film – projected onto structures across the city – follows reports that the government may ban disposable vapes, despite overwhelming criticism from myself and other campaigners in mainstream media.
During a week of meeting and engaging with vapers around the capital, I understand the frustration they face at what appear to be constant attacks on something that has likely extended their lives.
We projected onto busy high street buildings our simple, logical position that we know vaping stops people smoking, saves the NHS millions and our harm reduction method should be promoted worldwide, because it works.
I have met countless vapers from within the corridors of Whitehall to the streets of Shoreditch – where our video was filmed – and all have concerns about the future of a tool that freed them from the scourge of smoking.
In Panama, come November, the World Health Organisation will recommend its 194 member states impose even more restrictions on vaping, from tax hikes and bans on open systems to the redefinition of the word ‘smoke’, to include vape clouds.
Our government delegation – paid for by the taxpayer – has a duty to inform those ‘policy advisers’, who claim to want an end to smoking, to look at the UK model, where a harm reduction approach has had a real impact on cigarette consumption.
As our video message to the masses says, if we Back Vaping, we can save a billion lives. It’s a missive worthy of projection in Panama.
Please join our campaign here: backvaping.co.uk.
