2 minute read
WANTED
from USA - 1
Harm reduction powerhouse Charles A. Gardner is putting his money where his mouth is and offering a lucrative bounty for any REAL proof that vaping is deadly.
The neurobiologist and renowned advocate said he would give $100 to anyone with concrete evidence that nicotine vaping has killed even one of its 68 million users.
Advertisement
And with donations from likeminded consumers and activists, the modest prize pot quickly swelled to an attractive $1,600.
The question now is whether or not anti-vaping groups will step up to the challenge and provide proof of just one person who died from using nicotine e-cigarettes in the past two decades.
Lance Churchill, attorney and harm reduction advocate, asked infamous anti-vaping groups Parents Against Vaping and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids why they haven’t collected the reward.
He said: “Is it because you can’t find even one death from nicotine vaping from anywhere in the world?”
Others suggested that the cash prize would need a ‘few more zeros’ to attract the attention of anti-vaping organisations, with the contributions from consumers being nothing more than ‘small change’. Along with the call for evidence, Gardner - executive director for the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organizations (INNCO) - outlined a handful of exceptions where he would not pay out including:
• EVALI deaths can NOT be blamed on nicotine vaping
• Allergic reactions can happen with anything - including ingredients in e-cigarettes – this doesn’t mean vaping itself is deadly and,
• Killing an existing nicotine vaper won’t land you the prize pot.
He added that, even if anti-vapers could prove one death caused by nicotine vaping, e-cigarettes would still be a lot less harmful than cigarettes - which have killed more than 120 million people in the last 20 years.
Gardner said: “I’m sad about any death, but I wouldn’t be sad if they could prove one, or even 10 deaths, out of 68 million people.
“This would mean they’re admitting that e-cigarettes are among the safest consumer products on earth.”
Sp ice up L i fe
