BRUSSELS, May 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, vapers, former smokers, and harm reduction advocates mark World Vape Day 2026. The theme this year is One Switch – Everyone Wins. It is not a slogan. It is what the data shows.

World Vape Day falls one day before the WHO's World No Tobacco Day, and the contrast could not be starker. While the WHO spends tomorrow calling vapes and nicotine pouches industry tricks designed to hook a new generation, consumers in Germany, South Africa, Argentina, and many more countries took to the streets and Social Media this week to demand access to the less harmful alternatives that have already helped millions quit smoking.

"The WHO has been running the same playbook for years. Nicotine is the enemy, alternatives are industry tactics, and anyone who disagrees is compromised. Meanwhile, 8 million people a year die from smoking. That is not a public health record to be proud of," said Michael Landl, Director, World Vapers' Alliance.

The science is not in dispute among serious researchers. Vaping, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products all dramatically reduce exposure to the chemicals that kill smokers. Nicotine is addictive, but it is not the cause of smoking-related disease. Combustion is. When a smoker switches completely, the benefits extend to everyone around them. Secondhand smoke raises children's risk of asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis. Children of smokers are up to four times more likely to become smokers themselves. One switch removes almost all of that from the home.

The countries that understood this are now reaping the results. Sweden is smoke-free. The UK halved its smoking rate. New Zealand cut smoking among under-25s to around 3 percent and has the first smoke-free generation.

"Every country that has cut smoking fast did it by giving smokers real alternatives. World Vape Day exists to remind policymakers that the evidence is there. That we consumers are not anecdotes, we are the evidence. The tools are there. The only thing missing is the political will in too many countries," Landl added.

For media enquiries: info@worldvapersalliance.com www.worldvapersalliance.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/01526a12-daff-4be4-aa21-2454f91a5e71