Speakers at an online event on World Vape Day (WVD) said vaping can save millions of lives by helping cigarette smokers quit smoking. Organized by Voice of Vapers Bangladesh under the motto “# Switch To Healthy Living”.
Ishraq Dhaly, one of the organizers of Voice of Vapers Bangladesh, said the opposition to vaping was due to ignorance of the latest science about vaping. “That will do damage. Vaping could help meet Bangladesh’s goal of being tobacco-free by 2040. Vaping is the perfect tool to achieve this, as best medical research has shown that it is 95% safer than cigarette smoking, ”he said.
Dhaly was referring to the study by UK Public Health England (PHE), an executive agency of the UK Department of Health and Welfare. In 2015, in a “landmark review”, PHE found that fumes were approximately 95% less harmful than tobacco.
Suchumann Zaman, president of the Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Dealers Association (BENDSTA), said many people choose vaping as a means of smoking cessation because vaping is significantly less harmful. But misinformation about vaping is widespread and very harmful.
“Vaping helps smokers to quit cigarette smoking and thus protect them from the long-term damage. Vaping is 95% safer than smoking. There is no carcinogen, tar and so on. This is a worthy compromise. We need to understand that this is “harm reduction,” “Zaman said.
He emphasized that vaping should only be used by smokers. “We would never advocate vaping for a non-smoker. What we want is for a smoker to quit smoking by using vaping. This is the role of vaping. This is not about fashion. Vaping has the potential to save many lives, ”said Zaman.
Prof. Mithun Alamgir, director of the community medicine department at Enam Medical College, said death from smoking is a silent global pandemic that is invisible to people. “In the language of epidemiology, we refer to smoking as carcinogenic. All the most effective substances that cause cancer are included in it. This is so deadly because when the tobacco is burned it creates thousands of chemicals. We can identify some, but it is difficult to determine all of them. How can we save ourselves from it? The answer is to quit smoking completely, ”said Alamgir.
The most effective way to do this, Alamgir says, is by vaping. “There are many ways to stop. Different types of nicotine replacement therapy are used. But vaping was a revolutionary step forward for public health by helping smokers quit, ”he said.
Musician, presenter and producer Jewel shared his personal experience of vaping after being treated for a serious illness. “I was treated seriously and doctors from Bangkok and London told me to stop smoking. They recommended that I try vaping instead in order to successfully stay away from smoking, ”Jewel said.
World Vape Day (WVD) is celebrated on May 30th. This year the motto is “#Go The Extra Mile”. The aim of this day is to raise awareness of vaping as a harm reduction tool for smokers.