Vapers Digest 1st March

Friday’s News at a glance:

ETHRA February News roundup – Most smokers wrongly believe vaping is at least as harmful as smoking – 95% Safer? The Real Story on Vaping vs. Smoking – A harm reduction country only for the wealthy – The Fed Writes to Sunak – Do It Swedish-Style – Parliament Fears Two – Industry Licensing Scheme Proposed – Sacrificing Health For 2p Cut – Harm Reduction For The Rich – Cigarettes’ Market Decline Continues – Tobacco Control’s Nervous Breakdown – Smoking down and vaping up – Youth vaping. Is it time to panic? – We need nuanced action – E-Cigarettes Can Help Smokers Quit – Poland’s Disposable Ban Proposal – New Zealand’s Smokefree Dream – Interview with Arcus Compliance

ETHRA February News roundup

European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates

ETHRA’s monthly roundup of news: UK disposable ban & vape tax – Beating Cancer Plan Roadmap – Disappearing Directives – COP10 Roundup – Advocates Voice 2024 – Briefing: Prohibition and Organised Crime – Victory over junk science – Country updates. Read on for more. Read on for more.

Most smokers wrongly believe vaping …

Is at least as harmful as smoking – Mark Greaves, UCL

The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open and funded by Cancer Research UK, looked at survey responses from 28,393 smokers in England between 2014 and 2023.

The research team found that public perceptions of e-cigarettes had worsened considerably over the past decade, with an overall increase in the perceived harm of e-cigarettes since 2021, coinciding with a sharp rise in vaping among young people.

In June 2023, 57% of respondents said they thought vaping was equally as harmful as smoking or more harmful, while only 27% thought e-cigarettes were less harmful.

Smokers increasingly overestimate vaping risk – BBC

Misconceptions could stop millions of smokers quitting – Independent

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95% Safer? The Real Story

On Vaping vs. Smoking – James Dunworth

95% safer than smoking. That’s what Public Health England told us about vaping in a statement endorsed by numerous institutions and charities, from Lung Cancer Research to the NHS. Yet, buffered by misinformation and negative stories, many people think e-cigarettes are as bad or worse than smoking.

To counter misperceptions, and to show that the legitimate vape industry can not only meet but beat the 95% safer mark, Lizi Jenkins of Future Regulatory Service has set up a one-of-a-kind service. For the first time, the Vape Safety project allows manufacturers, retailers and users to get an exact comparison of the risk of individual e-liquid ranges with smoking.

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Tobacco Control’s Nervous Breakdown

Clive Bates

In his groundbreaking 1997 book, The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christensen defined the concept of “disruptive innovation.” The term is often used carelessly, but disruptive innovation has several characteristics that apply in today’s tobacco and nicotine market. In essence, it is a theory of how entrants to a market can challenge incumbents by focusing on unmet needs using novel business models exploiting simple enabling technologies.

In the nicotine market, the lithium-ion battery provided a critical enabling technology with sufficient power and energy density to replace combustion with electrical heating to create an inhalable aerosol in a compact and convenient form. Once the concept took off in the early 2010s, the technology rapidly evolved through at least four major generations during the decade.

The UK risks becoming …

A harm reduction country only for the wealthy

In a recent controversial move, the UK government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is reportedly planning to impose increased taxation on vaping products alongside traditional cigarettes.

This leaked plan has sparked significant concern among UK consumers, as it threatens to undermine the nation’s progress in harm reduction and smoking cessation efforts.

Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, expressed grave concerns regarding the government’s direction:

Six from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:

The Fed Writes to Sunak

The Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) has written a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to protest that independent retailers’ opinions about vape restrictions were ignored. They say that the consultation over creating a smokefree generation was deeply flawed because retailers were omitted. The Fed also wrote to Lorna Slater, the minister for the circular economy in Scotland and to Eluned Morgan, the Welsh minister for health and social services.

In the letter to Mr Sunak, the Fed’s National President Muntazir Dipoti said that by disregarding the views of retailers who sold tobacco, the consultation outcome was “unjust and unbalanced.”

Do It Swedish-Style

Public health experts have called on the World Health Organization to adopt a Swedish-style approach to beating smoking after it blatantly ignored the Swedish story at its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s Tenth Conference of Parties (FCTC COP10) in Panama. The announcement comes following a roundtable for tobacco harm reduction experts organised by Smoke-Free Sweden.

In response to the recent summit in Panama, at which the WHO refrained from endorsing the progress Sweden has made in dramatically reducing smoking rates, public health experts from the Smoke-Free Sweden movement convened a roundtable with politicians to look at what can be done to drive adoption of tobacco harm reduction-based policies around the world.

Parliament Fears Two

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) faces public questions in today’s article. The Secretary of State at the Department put Robbie Moore, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, up to provide the answers to Theresa Villiers and Steven Bonnar.

Chipping Barnet’s Tory MP Theresa Villiers asked the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Department has made a recent assessment of the impact of disposable vapes on wildlife and the wider environment.

Industry Licensing Scheme Proposed

A first-of-its kind licensing framework for the UK vape industry has been unveiled in Parliament, just days after a new investigation revealed a near 20-fold increase in the number of illicit vapes seized by councils across the UK since 2020. The industry experts claim the scheme will generate £50m+ per year to combat underage and illicit vape sales.

The FOI research found more than 1.5 million illegal vapes were confiscated between 152 surveyed councils last year alone, with industry experts warning that, unless an effective enforcement strategy is put in place, this figure could ‘spiral even further out of control’ under newly announced plans to ban disposable vapes.

Retailers to be hit with €2,000 annual licence to sell vapes

Harm Reduction For The Rich

The World Vapers’ Alliance says that the leak of a tax hike on vaping products is a “controversial move”. The UK government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is planning to impose a sin tax levy of up to 25% on vaping products alongside traditional cigarettes. This plan has sparked significant concern among UK consumers, as it threatens to undermine the nation’s progress in harm reduction and smoking cessation efforts.

Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, expressed grave concerns regarding the government’s direction: “It appears that in a bid to generate additional tax revenue, the UK government is willing to compromise the health of thousands of smokers. This is yet another step in the wrong direction.

Sacrificing Health For 2p Cut

The government was saying ‘No’ to vape bans and stating that a vape tax wasn’t in the interest of the public’s health last February. As we approach the Chancellor’s next and probably final Budget, Jeremy Hunt is “considering a new vaping tax”. The action has been slated by harm reduction experts, academic researchers and economists. The Budget takes place this Wednesday, March 6th.

A year ago, the UK saw a 10-Minute Bill presented to Parliament looking to completely ban the sale of disposable vape products. Also, as confirmed to POTV News by three parliamentary sources, the Chancellor and his minions were working out the political and health ramifications of placing a tax on vape products.

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Cigarettes’ Market Decline Continues

Recently, the Wall Street Journal noted what many in the convenience industry are seeing in real time. Pretty soon, Americans who crave nicotine will be more likely to reach for a vape or an oral nicotine pouch than a cigarette.

According to data from Marlboro maker Altria, cigarettes’ share of the U.S. nicotine industry fell to 60% last year, down from 80% in 2018. Smokers are switching to smoke-free products such as vapes in higher numbers than expected. If the trend continues, it will only take another three years for cigarettes’ share to slip below 50%.

Two from Colin Mendelsohn:

Youth vaping. Is it time to panic?

THE HEALTH MINISTER typically refers to youth vaping as a crisis. You could be forgiven for thinking kids were dying in the streets and the sky was about to fall in. However, the data from the recent 2022/23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) and the scientific evidence tell a different story. Regular youth vaping in Australia is rare and is reducing deadly smoking.

To be clear, kids who don’t smoke should not vape. However, public messaging about vaping should be accurate. Much of it is not.

Smoking down and vaping up

AFTER YEARS OF STAGNATION, the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey has reported an accelerated decline in adult daily smoking, from 11% in 2019 to 8.3% in 2022/23. This 25% decline in smoking (6% per year) is twice as fast as in the previous 9 years (3% per year).

The more rapid fall in smoking reflects the rise in adult daily vaping which tripled from 1.1% in 2019 to 3.5% in 2023.

We need nuanced action …

To solve the global smoking epidemic – Cliff Douglas

In my 36 years of fighting the smoking epidemic, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that there is no single action that supports all adults who smoke trying to quit. One size does not fit all.

I am heartened that tobacco use remains a key priority for global health leaders, as evidenced by the tenth meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP10) last week. Leaders from the 168 countries that have signed the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) spent five days discussing the best practices to lower smoking rates from a top-down policy approach.

The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products

Ignores the Science of Tobacco Harm Reduction

A recent article in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) titled “Electronic Nicotine-Delivery Systems for Smoking Cessation” details a four-year study on electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS). The study shows new evidence that ENDS products are an effective tobacco harm reduction tool, and is supported by medical professionals; yet as evidence grows, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to limit access to new ENDS products.

In the NEJM article, all 1,246 participants were adults who smoked at least five cigarettes per day and were interested in quitting.

Whether anti-vaping activists like it or not

Vaping helps smokers quit – David Medoza

As e-cig opponents continue to sound the alarm over health risks of vaping, they face a challenge in an increasingly obvious truth: The use of e-cigs helps smokers quit their tobacco addictions.

The study was conducted in Switzerland on 1,246 people who smoked at least five cigarettes a day and “wanted to set a quit date.” 622 participants were placed into an intervention group and 624 were placed into a control group. In the intervention group, participants were given free e-cigarettes and free liquids, along with smoking-cessation counseling.

E-Cigarettes Can Help Smokers Quit

Paul Hsieh

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 28 million Americans smoke tobacco (11% of US adults). 68% of smokers want to quit, and 55% of smokers have tried at least once. However, fewer than one in ten (7.5%) have been even temporarily successful. One of my smoking friends used to regularly joke, “Quitting is easy; I’ve done it dozens of times.”

Thus, I was encouraged by a recent study showing that e-cigarettes can be a useful tool in helping smokers quit. Researchers in Switzerland conducted a trial with over 1,200 smokers in which half received the usual behavioral counseling and the other half were allowed to use e-cigarettes to “vape” nicotine aerosol in addition to the standard counseling.

True Florida conservatives …

Must oppose efforts to restrict vapes

The Republicans in Tallahassee have passed a lot of great bills on behalf of the conservative base that elected them to serve in the Florida Legislature.

However, too many of these politicians are now pushing for bills that contradict the conservative values and philosophies they used to make such a great show of embracing.

And we’re seeing living proof of this troubling contradiction in some proposals that are currently making their way through the Florida Legislature.

Poland’s Disposable Ban Proposal

Featuring Mirek Dworniczak | #GFNNews

Poland could soon join the growing list of countries that have chosen to enact disposable vape bans, as the Polish government announces its intention to crack down on vaping in the country. To explore this ban proposal, and its likely efficacy, we’re joined today by chemist and vaping advocate Mirek Dworniczak.

New Zealand’s Smokefree Dream

Featuring Jan Walsh and Nancy Loucas | #GFNNews

Following New Zealand’s latest overhaul of its vaping regulations and its U-Turn on its Generational Smoking ban, we talk with Jan Walsh and Nancy Loucas for a closer look at New Zealand’s aim to be Smokefree by 2025 in this episode of GFN News!

My Interview with Arcus Compliance.

Gateway, flavours and advice for the UK. 1 March 2024

Interview with Robert Sidebottom, MD of Arcus Alliance, which is leading up the Vape Protection Alliance. The VPA is raising fund for legal action to challenge the UK’s proposed vape restrictions

3 main take-aways
1. Vaping is a gateway out of smoking
2. Flavours make vaping more appealing and effective and incentivise switching by adult smokers
3. Banning vaping is the worst possible solution

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On this Day…2023

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

Successful Harm Reduction Is Not a Fantasy

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

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