Vapers Digest 20th December

Wednesday’s News at a glance:

E-cigarettes and vaporisers ~ CULLIP: The WHO Bungled COVID. Now It’s Making An Equally Disastrous Blunder ~ Activists Urge Government to Make Safer Alternatives Known to Smokers in Uganda ~ Is vaping harmful to oral health? ~ 1.2m lives can be saved in Pakistan — policy makers need to think and act now ~ Vaping tax delayed over fears it could discourage smokers from trying to quit ~ THE ENDGAME FOR SMOKING? | With Paddy Costall and Jessica Harding ~ Control & Crisis | Relentless Pursuit of New Forms of Harm ~ Is taxing e-cigarette products the right way to reduce youth vaping in the UK? ~ Vaping sales more than double to £1.7bn as cigarettes are cancelled ~ Juul seeks US authorization for its new age-restricted menthol pods

E-cigarettes and vaporisers

Activists Urge Government to Make Safer Alternatives Known to Smokers in Uganda

Joseph Magero, Policy Watch Africa (PWA)

Ugandan tobacco harm reduction activists have raised the alarm over the worrying high smoking rates among youths aged 17 to 40 and low-income earners. They report alarming statistics, revealing that Ugandans begin smoking as early as 9 years old, often in tobacco-cultivating communities.

The problem extends even further, with Joel Sawa, team leader at Tobacco Harm Reduction Uganda, highlighting the prevalence of smoking in universities and high schools, including cannabis and shisha use among students.

Is vaping harmful to oral health?

Dr Richard Holliday, British Society of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry

Many patients ask their dental professional if vaping is harmful to their oral health. It can often be confusing to follow the evidence and guidance on e-cigarettes.

BSP is grateful to Dr Richard Holliday, from Newcastle University School of Dental Sciences, who has prepared a brief summary of current evidence on e-cigarettes and periodontal health for dental professionals. The summary has been reviewed and contributed to by BSP Council and we hope that you find it helpful.

1.2m lives can be saved in Pakistan — policy makers need to think and act now

Dr Syed Abbas Raza, International The News

Many countries are grappling with the challenge of reducing smoking prevalence in their populations. Traditional measures for tobacco control have hit a plateau, which is why the right time has arrived to switch to far more effective and globally accepted ‘tobacco harm reduction’ strategies if we wish to save more than 1.2 million precious lives in Pakistan. The spectrum of tobacco harm reduction products reduces toxic exposures by 80% and reduce tobacco-related causes of premature death by 70%.

Vaping tax delayed over fears it could discourage smokers from trying to quit

Ken Foxe, Breaking News I.E.

Minister for Finance Michael McGrath held off on introducing a new tax on vaping amid fears it might put off smokers who were using e-cigarettes to help break the habit.

In a pre-budget submission, officials from the Department of Finance said a delicate balance needed to be struck to both discourage young people from vaping while also supporting existing smokers who were looking to give up.

The Department of Health recommended that e-cigarettes be taxed differently to traditional products based on their “comparative health harms versus tobacco products”.

THE ENDGAME FOR SMOKING? | With Paddy Costall and Jessica Harding

Global Forum on Nicotine

Control & Crisis | Relentless Pursuit of New Forms of Harm

Brent Stafford, Regulator Watch

For many years, the primary goal of tobacco control policy was to achieve what public health called the “tobacco endgame,” a goal that tobacco control pursued relentlessly.
That is until nicotine vapes upended the “quit or die” narrative and swiftly became the number one tool for smoking cessation, an outcome derided by many within public health, leading to a new endgame: the end of nicotine.

That is until nicotine vapes upended the “quit or die” narrative and swiftly became the number one tool for smoking cessation, an outcome derided by many within public health, leading to a new endgame: the end of nicotine.

Click to visit Danish Vapers Association

Is taxing e-cigarette products the right way to reduce youth vaping in the UK?

Antonia Di Lorenzo, Ecig Intelligence

A new levy to discourage children from vaping in the UK is likely to be introduced in the next year, but it is still uncertain exactly how the government intends to tax vape products.

The UK government appears to still be collecting information on the best way to proceed. One proposal has been to impose an excise duty of £4 on disposable vaping products.

Juul seeks US authorization for its new age-restricted menthol pods

Annett Mary Manoj, Chris Kirkham, Reuters

Juul Labs said on Tuesday it was seeking U.S. authorization for its new menthol-flavored pods, which require user age verification, to be used with its e-cigarette device that is under review by regulators.

Juul’s e-cigarettes were briefly banned in the U.S. in June 2022 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded the company had failed to show that the sale of its products would be appropriate for public health. Following an appeal, the health regulator put the ban on hold and agreed to an additional review of Juul’s marketing application.

On this Day…2022

A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise…

Global State of THR:

ecig an unprecedented revolution – CoEHAR

Although the numbers of harm reduction supporters are growing, there are still too many smokers attracted to cigarettes: with over 1.1 billion smokers worldwide and more than 8 million smoke-related deaths each year, the smoking emergency is still a long way off from being in check.

Critics of FDA’s Tobacco Program

Vindicated by Reagan-Udall Foundation Review – Karl Abramson

On Monday, the Reagan-Udall Foundation released a highly anticipated report evaluating the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). The report highlights a stunning lack of direction and transparency within CTP that hinders the agency’s ability to effectively protect public health.

Visit Nicotine Science & Policy for more News from around the World