Vapers Digest 19th August

Monday’s News at a glance:

Nurse Praises ‘Switch to Quit’ – Another Threat ‘Magically’ Appears – UK Vape Legislation State of Play – Following in Grandpa’s Footsteps – 125,000 North East smokers have quit by using vapes – The pharmacy model for vapes: a prescription for failure – Fifth Circuit Court Accepts MDO Appeals – CAPHRA Calls For Pragmatic Regulation – Policymakers must tell smokers the truth – Smoking: Advocating the Swedish experience

Two from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:

Nurse Praises ‘Switch to Quit’

Following on from the latest ASH UK adult vaping findings, adult smokers have praised the government’s “switch to quit” programme. Emphysema sufferer Michael Hughes and an NHS research nurse both spoke about how vaping has helped to improve their lives. ASH’s Hazel Cheeseman took the opportunity to have a dig at nicotine use.

Michael Hughes, 58, from Ashton-under-Lyne in Tameside, started smoking when he was just eight years old. He smoked for almost fifty years until a lung scan revealed he had Emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) caused by permanent damage to the lungs.

Another Threat ‘Magically’ Appears

Funded vaping opponents in Malaysia clearly felt that the misinformation they were spreading hasn’t had the desired impact – and so another threat has ‘magically’ appeared. Pretending that using cannabis is in anyway linked to vaping hasn’t stop people using it for smoking cessation, consequently “doctors” are warning of a new danger: magic mushroom vapes!

The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction says that smoking rates are dropping but remain far higher than in the UK where vaping is embraced as a quit tobacco tool: “There has been a downwards trend in current smoking prevalence in the general population in Malaysia. Smoking prevalence was 29% in 2000 and declined to 22% in 2015, with a further drop to 19% projected by 2025.”

UK Vape Legislation State of Play –

Part 1, The Tobacco and Vaping Bill – Martin Cullip

Following the recent UK general election, many will be unsure of what happens next with regulation of vaping and other reduced risk nicotine products. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, introduced by Rishi Sunak’s government but ditched in the “wash up” at the end of the last parliament, was included in the King’s Speech so will be reintroduced in the new government’s first year.

But, for now, that is about all that is known. What form the new incarnation of the bill will take is speculation, although there are educated guesses that can be made. Firstly, the conflation of combustible products with far less harmful alternatives in the title of the bill will, sadly, continue.

The percentage of smokers is significantly lower in Sweden than in other EU countries. An extensive study carried out by the Swedish Institute for Tobacco Studies now shows that it is largely thanks to the use of snus.https://t.co/pcDrJ9Q2zF

— European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (@europethra) August 19, 2024

Following in Grandpa’s Footsteps

Kim “Skip” Murray

Sometimes, when we interact with people we disagree with, it can feel impossible to have anything in common.

What if we’re not looking hard enough? What would happen if we took the time to listen to each other, understand where people are coming from, and try to understand their feelings?

The quote in the graphic above is a comment made on one of my tweets. My reaction to it was anger. I felt it was cold and calloused. I interpreted it as saying veterans are disposable and they don’t matter.

125,000 North East smokers have quit

By using vapes instead in the last five years

Half of people who stopped smoking across Great Britain did so by using vapes instead, according to new data.

That equates to almost 3m people nationwide – while in the North East there have been around 125,000 people in that position. This comes as leading health figures including a top respiratory doctor highlight how vapes can be “invaluable” in reducing smoking and the impact of lung disease.

The pharmacy model for vapes:

A prescription for failure – Colin Mendelsohn

Starting 1 October 2024, nicotine vaping products will be available without a prescription, but only from Australian pharmacies. However, this new model already faces seemingly insurmountable problems and appears destined to fail.

Pharmacists are angry they were not consulted before the announcement. Major pharmacy chains like Priceline and TerryWhite, and numerous individual pharmacies have publicly refused to sell vape products. The Pharmacy Guild of Australia stated in a media release that it “strongly opposes this proposal”.

Fifth Circuit Court Accepts MDO Appeals

From Across the Country – Jim McDonald

After using its ruling against the FDA in the Triton Distribution case as precedent to reject five more FDA marketing denial orders (MDOs) on July 31, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has continued to aggravate FDA tobacco regulators this month.

Two recent actions by the court could open the floodgates for vaping manufacturers across the country to receive favorable rulings in the Fifth Circuit, based on the Triton decision:

CAPHRA Calls For Pragmatic Regulation

Of Safer Nicotine Products In New Zealand

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has expressed significant concerns regarding the recently proposed Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill 2024. The bill, aimed at addressing youth vaping, introduces stringent measures that CAPHRA believes will inadvertently harm adult vapers and smokers seeking to quit smoking. The government’s duty of care is to everyone living in Aotearoa, regardless of age.

Impact on Adult Vapers and People who smoke Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator and spokesperson for CAPHRA, highlights that the proposed ban on prefilled tanks, pods, and cartridges will create substantial barriers for adults who smoke and older vapers.

Policymakers must tell smokers the truth

Kurt Yeo

As a former smoker, I often get asked how I kicked the habit after 20 years and 40 cigarettes a day. It wasn’t easy.

My father’s passing from a smoking-induced heart attack in his early 50s was the biggest catalyst in my journey to become smoke-free. What finally helped me reach my goal was an innovation I stumbled across more than 10 years ago — vaping.

Czech Health Ministry Wants to Ban

Sweet-Flavoured Electronic Cigarettes

The Czech Health Ministry is drafting an amendment to a decree that could significantly impact the e-cigarette industry.

The proposed changes would prohibit all flavours except tobacco, as well as sweeteners and other additives commonly used in e-cigarette liquids.

These regulations would apply solely to vaping products, leaving traditional cigarettes and other nicotine alternatives unaffected.

Advocating 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 learned. 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. Furthermore, 73.3 percent believe NRT is safer than smoking tobacco, and 48.3 percent hold the same belief for e-cigarettes.

On this Day…2023

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

Vapegoating e-cigarettes

Christopher Snowdon

A study published last year found that if you lie to people on Twitter, some of them will believe you. The researchers showed 2,400 smokers some tweets about vaping, most of which were categorically untrue, and found that those who were exposed to misinformation were more likely to have a poorer understanding of the risks of e-cigarettes than those who were exposed to accurate information.

So far, so unsurprising. What was remarkable was the level of ignorance displayed by nearly everyone, regardless of what tweets they were shown. Of the people who were told that vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking, only 29 per cent believed that e-cigarettes contain fewer toxins than cigarettes.

More trouble in little Panama

COPWatch

In June, Copwatch mentioned, in passing, that a series of nationwide protests and blockades had taken place in COP10 host country, Panama, recently. Cost-of-living concerns, mistrust of government officials, poverty, inequality and corruption have led to much discontent.

The upcoming arrival of 1200 delegates for the WHO’s conference in November is not likely to lighten the mood. Panamanian news outlet, TVN Noticias, has broken a story on Instagram which must feel like a slap in the face for the country’s struggling citizens.