Following the UKVIA board meeting in the morning, there will be a series of panels discussions taking place in the afternoon.
The Forum’s panel themes are:
Panel One – COP9: The way forward for vaping – Mark Pawsey MP, Jeannie Cameron (JUUL), Christopher Snowdon (IEA), Andrej Kuttruf (Evapo), (others TBC)
As the UK attends the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Conference of the Parties 9 (COP9) for the first time since leaving the European Union, this session will explore the opportunity to position the UK as a world leader in tobacco harm reduction. It will also debate the way in which the UK’s delegation should approach the Conference to ensure that the WHO are held accountable for their increasingly regressive stance towards less harmful alternatives like e-cigarettes. The panel will discuss the importance of developing a coalition between the countries advocating for an evidence-based approach to less harmful alternatives to combustible tobacco.
Panel Two – Ensuring access to tobacco harm reduction in healthcare – Louise Ross (NNA), Doug Mutter (VPZ), Dr Sudhanshu Patwardhan (Centre for Health Research and Education) (others TBC)
Following the announcement by the University of East Anglia to trial vape devices in NHS A&E departments, the UKVIA has launched a campaign to support front line NHS staff to provide the best and most up to date advice to adult smokers looking to make the switch to less harmful alternatives. Panellists will debate how best vaping can play a key role in helping the NHS dramatically reduce the huge pressures placed upon it from dealing with smoking related health issues.
Panel Three – Image is everything – Damien Bove (Adact Medical), Mark Aylwin (Booker, Ret), Jo Mahoney (Trading Standards) (others TBC)
Misinformation is still vaping’s Achilles’ heel leading to misperceptions amongst both adult smokers and vapers, thereby holding back its potential to be the driving force behind a smokefree country. From product compliance to underage sales, ensuring the highest standards across the board alongside the need to open up opportunities to promote evidence based positive messaging to smokers looking to quit, is essential to ensuring that the vaping sector makes a significant contribution to public health in years to come. This session will debate what needs to be done to overcome current misinformation and misperceptions that are a constant thorn in the side of the vaping industry.
