| name | World Health Organization / Tobacco Free Initiative |
|---|---|
| url | https://apps.who.int/tobacco/control/en/ |
| class | IGO |
| category | public health / communication |
| funding | governments, private |
| association | FCTC, UN |
| bloomberg ties | only explanation |
| motivation | funding |
| science aversion | 🟥🟥🟥🟥🟧 |
The WHO has always been hostile to e-cigarettes. They're also a prime example of organizational decay. An impossible agenda and scope creep, lackluster government funding and WHA oversight; necessitated private funding. One of the main "philantropist" donors, whilst also funding lots of useful initiatives, exerts undue influence on policy making.
Their TFI bureau seemingly had a bit of a rollercoaster in their opposition arguments. They certainly don't represent the scientific consensus, but proxy lobbyism (TC masquerade). For intransparency legitimization, they rely on [tobacco-industry] deflectoids only.
- The WHO’s bizarre war on e-cigarettes
- Bloomberg, World Health Organisation and the Vaping Misinfodemic
- Bloomberg-funded WHO report doubles down against vaping
- Guess WHO? Vaping, harm reduction & the World Health Organisation
Argument patterns
[…] vaping products contain toxic and carcinogenic chemicals🟧 and metals🟥, affect the developing brain🟥, have caused EVALI since 2012 and led to cannabis use🟥. (gsthr2020)
The WHO Report on Tobacco 2021 (Bloomberg-funded) couldn't even be bothered anymore with insinuative phrasing on EVALI:
page 36:[…] called “popcorn lung”) (47).
page 37:
The outbreak of electronic-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) in the United States in 2019–2020 highlights the potential dangers associated with these products.[…] ENDS that contains cannabis (or THC), is thought to have played a significant role in these cases of lung injury (64).
Appeal to groupthink: talking point of "over 50 countries have already banned" things we miscomprehend is quite prevalent
Public discourse
- WHO’s 2020 Q&A on ENDS fails the low bar of anti-THR propaganda
- never answered open letters
- WHO/FCTC throws out Interpol
- limited public disclosure on how reports are conducted
Media campaigns
- WHO bizarrely cheered for a vaping ban in India, publically
rationalized with
vaping-framedemic, gateway-hypothesis, EVALI, etc.
- Even made up a special award for the Indian health minister.
- Whilst not much is happening on smoking prevention.
- It turned out a complete failure.
- WHO’s #TobaccoExposed media campaign exposed who's really running the PR
department. They clearly outdid the alleged 'big vape' marketing there:
Nevermind the vaping stuff?
One could easily ignore a little bit of poor advise. If it wasn't for the other thing going on right now. But the vaping disinformation is so egregious and blatant, that you can't ignore how it influences public perception. In particular with the anti-vax BS - also born out of the US. (And you know, striking simalarities in argumentatiton patterns.)
I'm pretty sure this only affects our vaper bubble, unlikely to creep much into public perception. But it certainly can't benefit overall trust in health orgs.
