Vapers Digest 16th August

Friday’s News at a glance:

Minister Replies to UKVIA – WVA Hits Out at Disposable Ban – UKVIA Welcomes and Warns – Collaboration Call – Oz Proves Ban Is Working – Smokers offered free vape kit – Pregnant smokers in Warwickshire encouraged to quit – Smokers in Hull are replacing cigarettes with vapes – Five Lessons From the ASH – Disposable Vape Ban Threatens New Zealand’s “World Leader” Status – My interview with Alternative Magazine – Appeals Court Throws Out Injunction – European Commission is burying its own smoking data – New Gallup Poll is a Mixed Bag for US Harm Reduction – What is with the Democrats’ war on vaping? – The first step to ending the tobacco epidemic – The Impact of THR in Bangladesh – Daily Use of E-Cigarettes Linked to Higher Cigarette Quit Rates – Advocating for the Swedish experience – Pioneering tobacco harm reduction – Imperial Brands Calls THR the ‘Right Thing to Do’

Five from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:

Minister Replies to UKVIA

Public Health Minister, Andrew Gwynne, has responded to the UK Vaping Industry Association’s letter asking the government to include the vaping industry in the formation of legislation. Gwynne told them, “He is keen to meet with a range of stakeholders across his portfolio and that he looks forward to working with the UKVIA over the coming months and years.”

The UK Vaping Industry Association wrote to ministers requesting a meeting to discuss how vaping can best support the nation’s smokefree ambitions.

WVA Hits Out at Disposable Ban

The World Vapers’ Alliance says it is deeply concerned about New Zealand’s decision to ban disposable/single use vape products. With the country close to becoming smoke-free, the consumer group warns that this ban could undermine the progress made in reducing smoking rates.

The New Zealand Ministry of Health announced that the ban was being introduced with the intention of reducing adolescent vaping – the similar flawed reasoning behind the UK’s old Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The new regulations will 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.

UKVIA Welcomes and Warns

New data from Action on Smoking and Health UK found more than half of ex-smokers in Great Britain who quit in the past five years – amounting to 2.7 million adults – used a vape in their last quit attempt, reinforcing the stop smoking potential of vaping. Welcomed by the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), the trade body issued words of caution regarding the exposed levels of misperception and misunderstanding.

Planet of the Vapes covered the release of the latest ASH findings yesterday, which revealed the main motivations for vaping amongst current smokers included to cut down on smoking, protect others from the risk of second-hand smoke or to help them quit.

Collaboration Call

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) is urging all stakeholders to set aside biases and work together to develop inclusive, evidence-based public health policies for adult-only products. This call comes in response to the ongoing challenges in regulating these products and the need for a more collaborative approach.

Nancy Loucas, the Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA, told Planet of the Vapes: “None of us are the sole reason for the complications with regulating adult-only products. We each have an inherent responsibility to address these issues collaboratively to find solutions that serve the greater good.

Oz Proves Ban Is Working

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration is proving that the country’s approach to vaping is working as it announces seizures of alleged illicit vaping goods and nicotine pouches in a joint enforcement operation. Well, to be more accurate, it is proving that the prohibition is going very badly as it has boosted the black market and criminal violence.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration announced: “A two-day joint enforcement operation between the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and Queensland Health has led to the seizure of more than 10,000 nicotine pouches and hundreds of illicit vaping goods.”

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Smokers offered free vape kit

To tackle habit in Bath and North East Somerset

Smokers in Bath and North East Somerset are being encouraged to swap cigarettes for vapes with a free offer from B&NES Stop Smoking Service. The free Swap to Stop offer includes a refillable, rechargeable vape device along with four weeks’ supply of e-liquids, plus other essentials needed to start the switch from cigarettes to vaping.

New data from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) shows that more than half of ex-smokers who quit in the last five years say they used a vape in their last quit attempt, which amounts to 2.7 million ex-smokers.

Pregnant smokers in Warwickshire

Encouraged to quit with the use of vape ‘quit kits’

Pregnant smokers in Warwickshire who are looking to quit have access to an improved stop smoking support offer with the Government ‘Swap to Stop’ programme.

Swap to Stop offers smokers over the age of 18 access to support to quit with the help of vape ‘quit kits’ as well as 12 weeks of behavioural support and stop smoking treatments. The offer has now been made available to pregnant women and expectant parents who live in Warwickshire or are registered with a Warwickshire GP.

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Smokers in Hull are replacing cigarettes

With vapes in a bid to quit

Figures from SmokeFree Hull show 24 per cent of people who successfully stopped smoking with them between April 2023 and March 2024 used a vape to help quit.

The data has illustrated the difference seeking help can make when stopping smoking. People who use SmokeFree Hull, the city’s smoking support service, can get free vapes, as well as one-to-one help and advice.

Hull has one of the highest smoking rates in the country. One in five people (20.49 per cent) in the city smoke, compared with the national average of 12.9 per cent.

Five Lessons From the ASH

Smokefree GB 2024 Survey on Vapes

The latest ASH Smokefree GB survey is out. YouGov surveyed over 13,000 Britons in Spring of this year, and some of the findings are encouraging news. The headline story is that vapes have helped almost 3 million people quit smoking over the last five years. However, there is plenty to be frustrated about, too.

Let’s take a look at what we can learn from the survey.

Two from Kiran Sidhu:

Disposable Vapes Eating Into …

Cigarette Sales, Industry Data Show

The most striking thing about tobacco giant Altria’s second-quarter report is the nature of the rapid transition it reflects from cigarettes to non-combustibles in the United States, according to expert David Sweanor, who reviewed the information released in late July.

“The greatest part of the decline in use of lethal cigarettes is attributed to movement to disposable vaping products and nicotine pouch products like Zyn,” Sweanor, advisory board chair of the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics, and a longtime nicotine-industry observer, told Filter.

Disposable Vape Ban Threatens…

New Zealand’s “World Leader” Status

Despite being lauded as a world leader in tobacco harm reduction and approaching “smoke-free” status, New Zealand is banning disposable vapes.

Earlier in August, the World Vapers’ Alliance warned that the ban, advanced in the name of reducing youth vaping, “could undermine the progress made.”

The policy, which the government first announced in March and plans to have in place by the end of the year, applies to the manufacture, import and sale of all non-rechargeable devices and non-refillable pods and cartridges.

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My interview with Alternative Magazine

Colin Mendelsohn

First and foremost, we’d like to say a huge congratulations for winning the Michael Russell Award 2024 at the Global Forum on Nicotine in Poland. What were your thoughts and feelings upon being presented this award and how important are events such as the GFN in spreading awareness about THR?

It was a great honour, but with a large dose of irony. I am treated as a pariah in Australia as my views are out-of-step with the mainstream narrative, so it is nice to be recognised overseas.

Appeals Court Throws Out Injunction

Against Elf Bar Manufacturer – Jim McDonald

A federal appeals court has vacated a temporary injunction that prevented Elf Bar manufacturer IMiracle and some distributors from selling Elf-branded products in the United States during a trademark dispute over the “Elf Bar” name.

The Aug. 14 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit does not affect the underlying case, which must still be decided by Judge Aileen Cannon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The decision relates only to the injunction granted by Cannon that prevents Elf Bar’s manufacturer and several distributors from selling Elf-branded products in the U.S. while the trademark dispute is in progress.

Imperial Brands Calls THR…

The ‘Right Thing to Do’ – Global Forum on Nicotine

Supporting tobacco harm reduction is more than just pragmatic positioning to appease financial analysts and stakeholders. For Imperial Brands, one of the world’s major tobacco companies, THR represents a consumer-focused commitment to helping individuals switch to less harmful forms of tobacco. It’s a strategy that balances both head and heart, reflecting a thoughtful approach to the future of safer nicotine products.

European Commission is burying ….

Its own smoking data: further foul play?

If you weren’t paying close attention, you’ll probably have missed the release of the latest EU survey on tobacco and nicotine use. Vaping advocates Clearing the Air recently published an article on the subject that is well worth reading and can be found here

A very brief summary of the article states that the latest EU survey on tobacco and nicotine use was quietly released on June 24, 2024 -just three days after Europe’s health ministers discussed certain Member States’ proposals to introduce stricter regulations on reduced-risk nicotine products, like vapes and nicotine pouches, largely ignoring traditional cigarettes.

New Gallup Poll is a Mixed Bag for US

Mark Oates

Gallup has released a poll on smoking and smoking alternative products in the US. There is plenty to be happy about, not least the news that smoking prevalence is the lowest it’s been since Gallup first started collecting that particular data point in 1944.

But don’t crack open the champagne just yet because data suggests that Americans’ perceptions of vapes and nicotine pouches are wildly out of whack.

Let’s take a look at what the survey has to say.

What is with Democrats’ war on vaping?

Chris Bailey

Americans love the freedom to choose but don’t always make the healthiest choices. Our government is supposed to be there to help us make healthy and safe choices, not to eliminate the freedom to make our own decisions regarding our health and well-being.

For example, government wouldn’t encourage us to eat fast food instead of fruits and veggies. It would never encourage you to ride without a seatbelt. And yet the government, via its Food and Drug Administration, seems to be deliberately scaring people away from vaping — and thus toward the alternative, which is of course cigarette-smoking, even though smoking is inarguably much more dangerous.

The first step to ending tobacco epidemic

Global Action to End Smoking

Smoking kills half of all regular, long-term users. It is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, but it does not have to be. With the right information, resources, and support, all people who smoke can decrease their tobacco-related risks and improve their health.

We are committed to disseminating the most rigorous and up-to-date information about the health impact and relative risks of tobacco and nicotine products with accuracy. We will update this page regularly as new scientific evidence emerges.

The Impact of THR in Bangladesh

Dr Altamash Mahmood, a Bangladeshi public health expert, was one of the authors of the recent “Lives Saved” report, which studied the potential impact of adopting Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) strategies in four low and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Bangladesh.

Written by international and local experts, the report projects that over the next four decades, more than 900,000 lives could be saved in Bangladesh alone through the adaptation of THR policies.

Daily Use of E-Cigarettes Linked to …

Higher Cigarette Quit Rates

Adults in the US who used e-cigarettes daily and also smoked combustible cigarettes were more likely to quit smoking than those who smoked but used e-cigarettes less frequently, according to a study led by experts at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. The research, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, suggests that daily e-cigarette use may help some people quit using combustible cigarettes.

The new work documents a collaborative effort by investigators from Roswell Park, the University of Waterloo School of Public Health Sciences in Ontario, Canada, and the Medical University of South Carolina.

Advocating for the Swedish experience

Gabriel Oke

As the world continues to grapple with the devastating health impacts of smoking, countries like Nigeria must consider Sweden’s groundbreaking approach to tobacco harm reduction. Sweden’s model has revolutionised the fight against smoking, and there are invaluable lessons to be learnt.

Recent research highlights the effectiveness of various alternative products. Among respondents, 60 percent perceive nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as the most effective alternative product, while 26.7 percent consider e-cigarettes to be the most effective.

22nd Century’s VLNPs

Still not resonating with smokers

The Mocksville tobacco manufacturer is in the midst of a do-or-die financial and operational restructuring with its VLN products that contain 95% less nicotine than traditional cigarettes.

Peak employment was about 50 at its Mocksville production facility, but has been reduced as part of a series of cost-cutting moves.

Pioneering tobacco harm reduction

In an exclusive interview, British American Tobacco (BAT) Group Head of Life Sciences Elaine Round delves into the company’s ongoing efforts to innovate and drive tobacco harm reduction. With a strong emphasis on science and responsible manufacturing, BAT is transforming from a traditional cigarette business to a multicategory business of smokeless alternatives. Round is unequivocal about the substantial body of evidence supporting the reduced risk potential of smokeless alternatives.

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On this Day…2023

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

A Missed Opportunity for Effective Protection

World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA)

Reports from Politico today indicate potential tighter regulations on vaping flavours within the European Union. MEPs and industry figures mentioned in the article support stricter rules on flavours to curb youth vaping. However, this approach faces criticism from consumers who fear limitations on choice, endangering the significant progress achieved in reducing smoking rates.

Non-tobacco flavours are widely used by vapers in the EU to move away from the taste of cigarettes, and research shows that their use can increase the odds of quitting by 230%. Restricting flavours will just drive many vapers to the black market or back to smoking.

Many adults who smoke cigarettes wrongly think that vaping is worse for them,

Say Hollings researcher and FDA Center for Tobacco Products director

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