Clive Bates
, a public policy adviser to the Welsh Government, is a former director of ASH (Action on Smoking and Health)
.
Contrary to
many, perhaps even most anti-smoker
advocates who abide by the ''quit or die'' philosophy, he firmly believes that harm
reduced products such as smokeless
tobacco and/or e-cigarettes are a much less risky alternative to those who
refuse or cannot totally give up tobacco.
This link http://www.clivebates.com/?p=674 will take you to an open letter he has addressed to the delegates of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, COP-5, who are meeting in Seoul this week to discuss future global tobacco policy.
A few well known anti-tobacco advocates have also echoed his opinion in the comment section that the ''quit or die'' WHO policy is counter-productive and seemingly motivated by interests other than the smoker's health.
This link http://www.clivebates.com/?p=674 will take you to an open letter he has addressed to the delegates of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, COP-5, who are meeting in Seoul this week to discuss future global tobacco policy.
A few well known anti-tobacco advocates have also echoed his opinion in the comment section that the ''quit or die'' WHO policy is counter-productive and seemingly motivated by interests other than the smoker's health.
Hopefully,
a majority of the delegates at the COP-5 convention will be governed by reason
and evidence ( or lack thereof) and vote
down future policies that are designed to serve the interests of corporate funders of anti-tobacco and die-hard
ideologists, at the detriment of the
people's health.
Related reading on the COP-5 convention:
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1 comment:
The whole Quit or Die approach only leaves people feeling more helpless and overwhelmed. I don't smoke, never have and never will, but I believe deeply in my fellow citizens' rights to stuff their lungs full of as much tobacco as can be borne without the nanny state becoming involved!
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