Road warrior and YouTuber Karl-Åke Johansson wants to help smokers quit. He is now launching a short film to reach politicians, authorities and journalists. And it's about e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes, or vejpning, are heavily regulated in Sweden, with an 18-year age limit, limited nicotine levels, controls on what products can be on the market and a tax on nicotine liquids. In addition, companies selling electronic cigarettes are prohibited by law from advertising.
"We have a public health authority that refuses to realize what an incredible benefit e-cigarettes could be for public health" says Karl-Åke Johansson, IT technician, committed e-cigarette user and former heavy smoker.
E-cigs less harmful than cigarettes
Today, over 100,000 Swedes use e-cigarettes. The majority of them are current or former smokers. But there should be more, says Karl-Åke Johansson. Research shows that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful compared to traditional cigarettes. Smokers who can switch to e-cigs improve their health, even if they still use nicotine. But it's not just about the smokers, says Karl-Åke Johansson.
"Smoking costs the healthcare system around SEK 70 billion a year. With an extra SEK 70 billion, we wouldn't have any health care queues left. Getting smokers to switch to e-cigarettes could free up a lot of this money for other purposes. If only politicians woke up and saw the truth" says Karl-Åke Johansson.
"Quit smoking completely or die"
But it is difficult to get the message across, he says. The Public Health Agency of Sweden has a cautiously negative attitude towards e-cigarettes and other products that can reduce the harm of tobacco smoking. And politicians legislate accordingly.
"We are a small country and have a public health authority that unreasonably refuses to realize what an incredible benefit e-cigarettes could be for public health. Their attitude to smoking is 'quit or die'. Harm reduction is an abomination to them. That's the reality that's being drummed out, and of course it also affects the interest in e-cigarettes among smokers." Says Karl-Åke Johansson.
Better than drugs according to research
The authorities' attitude towards vejpning is one of the major reasons why relatively few smokers try vejpning to quit smoking in Sweden, according to Karl-Åke Johansson. According to a recent report from Cochrane library, which compiles the state of the art of healthcare treatments, e-cigarettes increase the chances of quitting smoking by double, compared to other nicotine medicines.
"Companies must not say anything"
Karl Åke Johansson is now calling for more involvement in the issue, especially from politicians and health scientists.
"We need a change in political attitudes. Today, the number of users is only growing through word of mouth. The advertising ban means that companies selling e-cigarettes can't even talk about the benefits of e-cigarettes for smokers to quit, let alone promote it," he says.
Lack of an interest group
At the same time, users need to organize themselves, says Karl-Åke Johansson. This is something that vejpers in many countries have done. In Denmark, the Danish vejp Association, Dadafo, over 3000 members.
"We definitely lack an interest group to speak for us. The Swedish vejp companies have an organization, but the vast majority of users have no voice" says Karl-Åke Johansson.
"The movie is a tool"
He now hopes that the movie will at least attract some attention. If only among smokers.
"The film will be a tool on many levels. It should speak to smokers, who are in the choice and agony of trying e-cigarettes. It will be able to be sent to the media, to change their minds. But the hope is also to reach politicians and give them a different view of smoking and e-cigs." says Karl-Åke Johansson.
How do you disseminate the movie?
"Via social media. Facebook, is a powerful media. It is also on YouTube channels Elite 100. By disseminating it in the vejp groups, and encouraging sharing, it can reach a surprising number of people."
Have you received any reactions?
"I have received many reactions. The nicest one was probably: "I was crying while hugging my vejp""
What made you decide to do 'Save Lives'?
"The piece of music. That was really what started it all. Damian Morterwho wrote the music and lyrics for the song "Hard to breathe", is one of our oldest e-cig reviewers on YouTube. I heard him singing the song a few years ago and have been thinking about what to do with it ever since. The message is so spot on. With my YouTube channel, my knowledge of video and mixing has grown, and then I got the idea. I was so happy when Damian offered me to use his music for free. I actually have an English version of the movie going on too.
