Monday, November 12, 2018

Project unthinkable, a book by Derek Yach is now available

Derek Yach is the guy who made a deal with the devil (aka Philip Morris International): they would fund his Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, $80 million per year for 12 years, to promote safer nicotine delivery products than the traditional combustible cigarettes. Of course, any type of deal involving Philip Morris is unthinkable and unacceptable for the people and main organizations devoted to tobacco control. Read the book for details. Never mind that millions of ex-smokers say they have been able to quit thanks to e-cigarettes. They are only "anecdotal evidence", no proof at all there is anything interesting for public health in vaping. Better demonize those nicotine addicts and eventually prohibit everything e-cig but for the good old cigarettes. Derek admits he did not show much empathy for smokers in the first phase of his career as a tobacco control advocate: neither did I. But at the time there was very little available to help smokers to quit and we did demonize nicotine. The nicotine patches, gums, sprays did not help much while e-cigs (and snus) have convinced many, I have not yet figured why there is so much resistance and anger from people who should rejoice that smokers switch to a less dangerous habit. They immediately decided to ostracize the new Foundation instead of joining its board and being able that way to check what is done and influence how the millions PMI made from the smokers are used to help smokers quit. Is there a chance they'll have a change of heart before hell freezes? Meanwhile, I am definitely on the side of the ex-smokers who vape.

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