French consumer vaping organisation SOVAPE announced this week it will shut down.
Founded in 2016, organised three important vape summits in France and co-founded the European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (ETHRA) umbrella group.
For the last five years, SOVAPE has commissioned annual surveys of French public opinion on vaping and nicotine conducted by major market research firm BVA.
However, BVA recently notified SOVAPE that it could no longer take part due to a health industry client’s contract prohibiting it from also working with nicotine-associated organisations.
A series of blows and attacks
The abrupt cancellation of the survey followed other recent blows, including “unfounded news articles” accusing SOVAPE and other consumer groups of connections to the tobacco industry.
There have also been attacks on scientists and health professionals who supported SOVAPE’s mission to raise awareness of the crucial role vapes can play in cutting France’s high smoking rate.
In a statement, SOVAPE - which has been run by volunteers - explained it can no longer carry out its mission due to the current climate of “censorship, threats, lies, denigration and slander, to which can be added the dissemination of fake news and the denial of scientific data.”
It added: “Dialogue in this context is impossible, and clearly, it is now even ‘forbidden’ to provide information, such as a banal survey, on reducing the risks of smoking in France.”
‘No regret’ in having tried
SOVAPE will donate the balance of its funds in equal part to the Pasteur Institute and fellow vaping groups AIDUCE and La Vape du Cœur. It has paid to keep its website available for 10 years, and maintains videos of Vape Summit proceedings on its YouTube channel.
“We regret that we are no longer able to cultivate a dialogue to promote the risk reduction approach against the main cause of preventable diseases and premature deaths in France,” SOVAPE said.
“We do not regret having tried, but must acknowledge that it is no longer possible for us to lead this fight that is dear to us, and which has nevertheless contributed to saving lives!”
The most recent poll by BVA, conducted in early 2024, found that 79 per cent of people acknowledged vapes as an effective tool in quitting smoking. However, more than a quarter (27 per cent) were still influenced by misinformation, believing that vaping is as or more dangerous than smoking.
The majority (62 per cent) reported a significant improvement in their quality of life since switching to vaping.
