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The South African Government is seeking to pass the 2018 Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill, which puts vaping in the same category as smoking, despite scientific evidence showing it is likely 95% less harmful than traditional smoking .

To demonstrate to the public and policymakers that vaping can actually be used to assist long-term smokers quit cigarettes, Vaping Saved My Life (VSML), a consumer advocacy group, conducted a pilot social experiment that saw participants attempt to give up traditional smoking for 90 days and replace it with vaping. The experiment had an 87.5% success rate.

Government needs to look at all the available evidence and science – including data from this pilot social experiment – and provide better policies that look at vaping as a solution, rather than just another problem.