Vapers Digest 9th August

Friday’s News at a glance:

Scouse Free Vapes Increased – What Do The “Insights” Tell Us? – Social Workers Can Target Support – UKVIA Applies to CTSI Scheme – Indian Ignorance – CAPHRA Calls Out Propaganda – Developers of vapes for migraine, asthma – Maldives proposes higher taxes on vapes – Oppose the Nicotine Limits to Pouches in Sweden Now! – Adopt NZ, Sweden approach – Thinking ’bout THR Newsletter – The CoEHAR sent a letter to the Spanish Government – Dr. Carl Fagerstrom writes: “No smoking… less harmful” – New Zealand’s Smoke-Free Status at Risk – Why Flavors Play a Vital Role In Cessation – Vaping nicotine is tobacco harm reduction –

Six from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:

Scouse Free Vapes Increased

The provision of free vapes to help smokers in Liverpool quit has been increased, according to Knowsley Council. Such has been the success of the ‘Swap to Stop’ scheme in helping adults move away from tobacco use, the project is being expanded to help even more Scouse smokers switch from smoking to ‘95% safer’ vaping.

Knowsley Council say that no one who isn’t currently a smoker or vaper should be using vape products but adds that it is an ideal route for current smokers to escape their addiction.

What Do The “Insights” Tell Us?

The Behavioural Insights Team offered a warning to the last government that it “should be careful that work to prevent youth vaping does not undermine efforts to encourage smokers to quit”. In this article we look at what they warnings were and why they should be considered by the current government.

The Behavioural Insights Team began as a ‘nudge unit’ operating within the UK government but has become “a global social purpose company of over 200 professionals” owned by charity Nesta – itself originally funded by a £250 million endowment from the UK National Lottery.

Social Workers Can Target Support

A new Briefing Paper from the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR), a project from UK-based public health agency Knowledge·Action·Change (K·A·C), calls for social workers to be given the tools to promote tobacco harm reduction as a means to reverse the high smoking rates found in many of the populations with whom they interact.

GSTHR note that while social worker roles differ around the world, “they often serve as the initial, and in some cases only, point of contact with a number of marginalised communities. These professionals can have a significant influence over people’s overall wellbeing.”

UKVIA Applies to CTSI Scheme

The UK Vaping Industry Association has announced that it has initiated the application process to join the Chartered Trading Standards Institute Approved Code Scheme. Members of the scheme abide to operate by a strict code of practice which identifies them as trustworthy and reliable businesses.

The UK Vaping Industry Association says it is pleased to be embarking on the process to become part of the highly-respected CTSI Approved Codes Scheme.

Indian Ignorance

India is home to 253 million tobacco users, of which 80.5 million are cigarette smokers. One million Indians die every year from tobacco related diseases. Despite these awful statistics, the country decided to ban the sale of vape products while maintaining the sale of tobacco products, not least because the government owns a large share of ITC Limited (formerly the India Tobacco Company Limited). Against this backdrop, Dr Harjinder Kaur Talwar proposes a campaign of lying about vaping.

CAPHRA Calls Out Propaganda

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) is calling out the rampant misinformation about tobacco harm reduction as blatant propaganda perpetuated by factions within the tobacco control community. These factions refuse to accept the proven role of reduced-risk products in helping people quit smoking, thereby undermining public health efforts.

Recent commentary and reports have highlighted a disturbing trend of disinformation about safer nicotine products.

Developers of vapes for migraine, asthma

Will need to win over sceptics – Emma Rumney

A handful of North American companies which see potential for vape-like devices to ease migraines and respiratory diseases such as asthma have a long road to convince health authorities and patients that their products can be the future of inhaled medication.
Two companies, Qnovia and MIIST Therapeutics, have developed vape-like devices based on technology used in existing medical nebulisers, which turns liquid medications into a fine mist.

The 90th such incident so far…

Cc @LivePippas https://t.co/ySi9rH1OPs pic.twitter.com/hKvKRQMh4u

— Jukka Kelovuori (@jkelovuori) August 9, 2024

Maldives proposes higher taxes on vapes

Ali Anderson

A government-funded health agency in the Maldives has proposed hiking the tax on vapes. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) says additional taxes imposed on all “tobacco products” (in which it includes vapes) will help to deter young people from using them.

In an article titled “Let’s Save Children and Youth from Tobacco,” published on the Ministry of Health website, the HPA expresses concern over the increasing use of vapes and nicotine pouches among teenagers and youth in the Maldives.

Oppose the Nicotine Limits to Pouches…

In Sweden Now! – Carissa During

In March, Inga-Lill Askersjö submitted an official report titled En trygg uppväxt utan nikotin, alkohol och lustgas (Eng: A Safe Upbringing Without Nicotine, Alcohol, and Nitrous Oxide) to Jakob Forssmed, Sweden’s Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health. The report was intended to explore whether the goals of the ANTDS-strategy could be updated to incorporate harm reduction principles, which have broad support in the Swedish Parliament.

However, the report doesn’t address harm reduction as its stated purpose suggests. Instead, it focuses on protecting children by lumping together various products without distinguishing their relative harms.

Dr. Carl Fagerstrom writes:

“No smoking… less harmful”

Together – The Swedish experience in using alternative nicotine products to combat the dangers of traditional smoking revealed a strange paradox. Although the Swedes consume nicotine at the same rates as the rest of the European countries, the Swedes have become significantly less susceptible to health problems associated with tobacco. It’s not a coincidence

I have partnered with international public health experts to produce a study or report titled ‘No Smoking… Less Harmful,’ which explains that the way tobacco or nicotine is consumed is the basis for exposure to the risks of smoking or not, not the consumption of nicotine itself.

Adopt NZ, Sweden approach…

To reduce smoking rates in Malaysia

The Advanced Centre for Addiction Treatment Advocacy (Acata) has called for the inclusion of comprehensive tobacco harm reduction measures in the upcoming Control of Smoking Products for Public Health 2024 (Act 852).

Drawing comparisons from New Zealand and Sweden from a recent report, Acata highlighted the potential of regulated harm reduction alternatives to significantly reduce smoking prevalence in Malaysia, ultimately saving thousands of lives.

New Zealand’s Smoke-Free Status at Risk

Due to the Disposable Ban

The New Zealand Ministry of Health has announced the ban with the intention of reducing adolescent vaping. The new regulations prohibit the manufacture and sale of all non-rechargeable and non-refillable vapes, including single-use containers such as pre-filled tanks, pods, and cartridges.

The WVA warns that this decision could have detrimental effects on public health, potentially reversing the progress New Zealand has made in reducing conventional smoking.

Thinking ’bout THR Newsletter

Kim “Skip” Murray

I attended high school in St. Louis Park, MN, from 1974 to 1977. So many students smoked that my school designated one boy’s and one girl’s bathroom as a smoking bathroom. Check out how schools were dealing with smoking teens in the 70s: SMOKIN’ IN THE BOYS’ ROOM.

How do we stop kids from doing adult things? I don’t know the answer, but I do know that denying them privacy or the opportunity to relieve themselves, resulting in physical and mental health problems, is not the answer.

Why Flavors Play a Vital Role In Cessation

For Adult Vapers – THR in Africa

A multidimensional review of a report by a renowned cardiologist on how flavours in tobacco harm reduction can save lives

Over the past decade, there has been a surge in smokers using vapes as an alternative, with the number of e-cigarette users being estimated to be over 82 million as of 2021. Flavours continue to be crucial in both initially attracting – and retaining adult smokers’ interest in using e-cigarettes, with only 1% of vapers using flavourless e-liquids.

Episode 23: Tim Andrews

Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Tim Andrews, Director of Consumer Issues at Americans for Tax Reform and the Tholos Foundation, joins Martin and Lindsey to discuss the work his organizations are doing in the states and internationally. Tim discusses the best countries for tobacco harm reduction, how regulations differ far and wide, America’s issues with properly regulating the consumer marketplace, and the World Health Organization’s terrible track record of being a public health organization.

The CoEHAR sent a letter …

To the Spanish Government

CoEHAR members has sent a letter to the Spanish Ministry of Health regarding the recent proposal to amend the anti-smoking law. This amendment could lead the Spanish government to restrict the sale of products deemed effective for smoking harm reduction to tobacco shops only, thereby eliminating the opportunities offered by purchasing these products from authorized retailers such as vape shops.

To this end, with a deadline of August 15, the Spanish Ministry of Health has initiated a public consultation aimed at gathering opinions, testimonies, and scientific data from all stakeholders involved in the harm reduction process.

Vaping nicotine is tobacco harm reduction

Colin Mendelsohn, Alex Wodak

Harm reduction is widely used in public health. Tobacco harm reduction with vaping has the potential to reduce premature death and disease in smokers

Big Tobacco happy with growth…

But no talk of impact from regulatory changes

All Big Tobacco companies reported growth in their smoke-free segments in the first half and second quarter of 2024, reflecting a broader industry trend towards diversification from traditional cigarettes.

For example, Philip Morris International (PMI) recorded smoke-free expansion in the first half of the year with its Veev vaping products, which became the closed-pod leader in five European markets within 12 months of launch. During the presentation of its financial results, the company said its smoke-free products are now present in 90 markets, following recent launches of Iqos, Zyn and Veev.

Rapid-response surveillance

Of the first US test market for VLN cigarettes

Introduction VLN King menthol and non-menthol are the first combustible cigarettes to receive US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorisation as modified risk tobacco products. Focusing on the first retail test market, this study characterised VLN advertising, product placement, discounts and price.

Methods All Chicago-area Circle K stores (n=133) were telephoned to assess whether they sold VLN. Single-pack price of non-menthol was obtained in 57 of 100 stores that sold VLN. In fall 2022, trained data collectors visited those 57 stores to assess VLN product placement, advertising, discounts and prices. Paired t-tests compared observed VLN price with telephone price and to price of other cigarette brands.

On this Day…2023

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

GFN23: The Big THR Conversation

– How can the last decade influence and inform the next?

Global Forum on Nicotine

This interactive session depends on your stories and memories, as we create an oral history of tobacco harm reduction. Please come ready to share your experiences! Following a ‘chat-show’ format, we’ll look back on the rapid development and acceptance of tobacco harm reduction as a key public health strategy over the past decade. Key moments and events that have driven or impeded progress will be illustrated by short video clips from our archives. Our host, Clive Bates, will seek testimony from you, the GFN audience – because so many of you have been directly involved in and integral to tobacco harm reduction’s development. Summing up the discussion, Clive will identify key points that might influence or impact the future of the approach, at this tenth anniversary edition of the Global Forum on Nicotine.

WHO Has Changed Course

On Harm Reduction Before; It Must Do So Again

Martin Cullip, DC Journal

The World Health Organization was once implacably opposed to harm reduction related to drug use, instead preaching abstinence as the only policy approach. It was steadfastly resistant to the practice of needle/syringe exchange programs to reduce infection. Today, the WHO website has a page extolling these programs’ benefits to public health. It states, “the risk of transmission of HIV is mainly linked to the injection of drugs.” Yet, the WHO once not only dismissed needle/syringe programs to control HIV but campaigned against them.