On Thursday, June 24th, 18:00 – 19:00 BST, the Institute of Economic Affairs is delighted to host a discussion on the Impact of COP9 on Vapers.

For the first time since leaving the European Union, in November 2021, the UK will send a delegation to the World Health Organisations Conference of Parties (COP) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is an international treaty under the auspices of the WHO dedicated solely to tobacco control. COP is the supreme decision-making body of the FCTC, where all parties to the FCTC meet biennially to review the implementation of the convention and adopt the new guidance.

The need for a discussion on this obscure bureaucracy arises because COP9 poses a significant threat to the United Kingdoms’ successful approach to harm reduction policy. The WHO is increasingly, and against the clear evidence, positioning itself as an enemy of vaping. The UK is a world leader in tobacco harm reduction, and a significant reason for this is our comparatively liberal approach to vaping products and e-cigarettes.

We will discuss who represents the UK at COP, how decisions are reached (and whether we should listen to them), the impact of these decisions on the United Kingdom’s harm reduction progress, and the 2030 smoke-free target. Plus much more.

Our panel of expert speakers includes IEA Director General Mark Littlewood (chair), Matt Ridley (Vice-Chair of the APPG on Vaping), Christopher Snowdon ( IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics), and Louis Houlbrooke (NZ Taxpayers Union).

You can watch it LIVE on our YouTube channel – HERE