Man rides 700km on bike to support vaping

Up to now, our group has been promoting support for vaping, supporting the potential to reduce the harm of vaping, but we have only provided information. Meanwhile, in the world, there are people who have actually taken action by…. cycling across borders to promote support for vaping, guys.

In July 2022, two men cycled 700km through the Alps wearing shirts with the slogan “VAPING IS NOT SMOKING”. It turned out that one of the two men was Umberto Roccatti - President of the Italian Association of Electronic Cigarettes (ANAFE) and also Vice President of the European Independent Vape Alliance (IEVA). They used to smoke 30 cigarettes a day for 15 years, and it was only when they switched to vaping that they were able to quit smoking.

"Before switching to vaping, I smoked up to 30 cigarettes a day for 15 years. With this campaign, we want to demonstrate in concrete terms that, just by switching to vaping, people like me can protect their health, change their lifestyle and exercise successfully." Quote from Umberto Roccatti

This is just one of many other cases of people successfully quitting smoking thanks to vaping. According to the latest research from the UK Public Health Service, vaping is still the most popular method of supporting smoking cessation. In 2020-2021, the rate of people successfully quitting smoking thanks to vaping was up to 64.9%, much higher than those using other methods (success rate was only 58.6%).

Through this story, we can confidently affirm: The view that vaping has the potential to reduce the harm of cigarettes is gradually becoming popular, and more and more people are willing to speak up to confirm this in many different ways! As my brother Umberto Roccatti said: “If you can cycle across the Alps as a vaper, that is very good evidence of the Harm Reduction Potential of Cigarettes. With my previous smoking lungs, this feat would not be possible”.

Update: After completing the trip, they were invited by the European Parliament to sit down and share in-depth information about e-cigarettes and had the opportunity to spread awareness about a healthy lifestyle when switching to vaping. Surely when they drove out of the house, they didn't think they would have such a huge impact.

"We have had a long and successful journey. The Alps challenged us, but we overcame it. A vaper who can cycle across the Alps is the greatest testament to the Tobacco Harm Reduction Foundation. I would not have been able to do this feat with my former smoking lungs."

Or you guys should try to proactively share/take action. Start by commenting or posting a story about civilized vaping on that group. Who knows, maybe your story will bring some great value to the community?