Vapers Digest 2nd September

Monday’s News at a glance:

Labour’s puritanical attack on vaping – Labour’s Proposed Vape Ban Is a Blow to Harm Reduction – Tobacco Harm Reduction: A Deep Dive with Professor Ann McNeill – Schrödinger’s Vapes: – Health experts hit out at BMA’s call for stronger vape laws – Putin is coming for your vape – National Heart Foundation slams vaping – Should you vape 6-methylnicotine? – New Canadian Crackdown on Nicotine Pouches – Nicotine pouches a key tool – Rethinking the smoking war – Historic Lows in Traditional Tobacco – THR Would Save Lives – Doctors should embrace e-cigarettes – Fight brewing over the return of new smoking laws for South Africa – The pharmacy-vape model

Labour’s puritanical attack on vaping

Patrick West

On Times Radio this morning Lucy Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, said that she wanted the government to ‘tackle the scourge of vaping’. Of course she does. This is the next natural step for a government intent on stopping people enjoying themselves, or exercising individual freedom. Never mind that vaping, according to Public Health England, is 95 per cent safer than smoking and that it is recommended by the NHS for smokers looking to quit. Government ministers just can’t help themselves.

Labour are drunk on power. They’re in a ban-happy state of euphoria in the wake of their proclamation that they will potentially prohibit smoking outdoors in small parks, outside sporting stadiums and in pub gardens. It matters not that vaping is vastly safer than smoking, and an effective exit drug.

Ban on Disposable Vapes: A Gift to the Illegal Market

Labour’s Proposed Vape Ban …

Is a Blow to Harm Reduction – Paul North

Labour’s recent proposal to ban disposable vapes, citing concerns over youth access and environmental impact, is a significant misstep. While these issues warrant attention, an outright ban ignores the crucial role disposable vapes play in harm reduction, particularly for smokers looking to quit.

Disposable vapes have emerged as one of the most effective tools in reducing smoking-related harm. Studies consistently show that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes. Public Health England, among others, has highlighted that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking. Disposable vapes, in particular, offer a convenient and accessible option for those who may not be ready or able to switch to more complex vaping devices. For many, these devices represent a crucial stepping stone on the path to quitting nicotine altogether.

Tobacco Harm Reduction:

A Deep Dive with Professor Ann McNeill

Ever wondered about the complexities of tobacco harm reduction? This episode of ‘Addictions Edited: the monthly take-home’ brings you a fascinating conversation with Professor Ann McNeill, a leading expert in tobacco addiction. Hosted by Dr Rob Calder, this episode dives into the history, challenges, and future of tobacco harm reduction, offering a nuanced look at a topic that impacts millions worldwide.

Professor McNeill shares her journey from scepticism to advocacy for harm reduction, highlighting key moments and figures that shaped her views

Doing the right thing for the wrong reason is better than doing the wrong thing for any reason.

‘So, do we actually care about smokers? Or do we just want to ban something?’https://t.co/xrsd4CLjqv

— Phil (@phil_w888) September 1, 2024

Schrödinger’s Vapes:

How Confusing Vape Regulations Harm Consumer Choice and Safety

Smoking kills hundreds of Americans every day. Transitioning to vaping is one of best methods to stop smoking. While the risk from vaping is not zero, it is negligible for those who use well-made products. The U.K. government sends vaping kits to smokers to encourage them to quit, and permits the sale of vapes from vending machines. By contrast, U.S. public-health policy toward vaping is equivocal, and bogged down by concerns that children might start the habit. U.S. regulators have only approved a few vaping products, and they largely are not the ones that consumers most want.

Two from Ali Anderson, Clearing the Air:

Health experts hit out at BMA’s call …

For stronger vape laws

Health experts in the UK have hit out at the British Medical Association (BMA)’s recommendation for stronger vape regulation. Last week the BMA, a trade union that represents doctors, wrote an open letter urging the government to “take bold and brave actions” to protect the health of children and young people.

It followed a pledge from new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to revive the controversial Tobacco and Vapes Bill that was introduced by his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak. The bill includes plans to ban disposable vapes and impose restrictions on their flavours, packaging and how they are displayed in shops.

Putin is coming for your vape

Vladimir Putin – the Russian President who has been accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court – took a short break from waging his illegal and brutal war against Ukraine to warn Russian schoolchildren of the dangers of vaping.

Not one to shy away from promoting disinformation, the Russian leader made several claims about vaping for which there is no scientific evidence, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS. Putin listed problems with memory, un-named “pathogenic organisms” penetrating the lungs and even lowering fertility rates. Russia currently has a “catastrophically low” birth rate.

Two from Colin Mendelsohn:

National Heart Foundation slams vaping

THE NATIONAL HEART FOUNDATION (NHF) has recently intensified its attack on vaping, claiming that “e-cigarettes and vaping are damaging to cardiovascular health” and that vaping serves as a gateway to smoking. However, it fails to provide evidence of harm caused by vaping and misinterprets the gateway research.

The NHF’s assertions are prominently featured in its submission to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into vaping (here) and in a recent media release (here).

Should you vape 6-methylnicotine?

TO CIRCUMVENT AUSTRALIA’S HARSH RESTRICTIONS on nicotine, some people have been importing or purchasing vapes containing a nicotine-alternative, 6-methylnicotine. Is this still a good idea?

What is 6-methylnicotine? 6-methylnicotine (6MT) is a chemical related to nicotine (brand names include Metatine and HYT). It has the same effects as nicotine but is much more potent. 6-methylnicotine has been around for over 50 years, but there has been little research into it.

New Canadian Crackdown …

On Nicotine Pouches Aims to Shield Youth

The Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media.

They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada.

Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read.

Nicotine pouches a key tool…

In the global fight against smoking – Christopher Oldcorn

Nicotine pouches are becoming a popular tool to help people quit smoking in many countries around the world.

These pouches are small, tobacco-free products that people place under their lip to get a dose of nicotine without the harmful effects of smoking.

Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland issued a controversial Ministerial Order banning nicotine pouches like ZONNIC from stores that carry cigarettes. The pouches are now only available at pharmacies, making it harder for smokers to access the smoking cessation products.

NIH-Funded Researchers

Blame Nicotine Pouch Survey Outlier Data on Teen Use

Prevalence of Nicotine Pouch Use Among US Adults (HD Dai, 2024) was published in July 2024. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it was co-led by the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The authors surveyed a nationally representative sample of 39,557 U.S. adults to see how many people are using nicotine pouches.

The results of the survey are surprisingly low. The paper states that:

Rethinking the smoking war

SMOKING kills. That’s what we’ve heard for most of our lives. We are reminded when we see horrendous images of smoking-related diseases plastered on every cigarette pack sold legally in Malaysia, which was the whole point of mandating such packaging.

But it seems for many Malaysians, that message has yet to stick, as the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2023 revealed that 14.6% of adults in Malaysia currently smoke tobacco daily.

The pharmacy-vape model.

Interview with Prof Ross Fitzgerald & pharmacist Chris Owen

Peter Gleeson interviews Professor Ross Fitzgerald and Chris Owen, Queensland Branch President of the Pharmacy Guild on why the pharmacy-only vape model is bound to fail.

Historic Lows in Traditional Tobacco

Use Among Virginia Youth – Lindsey Stroud

The Virginia Department of Health has recently released the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) results. This biennial survey tracks various behaviors among Virginia’s middle and high school students including dietary habits, physical fitness, mental health, and substance use. For policymakers focused on youth tobacco and vapor product use, the data from Virginia are encouraging, showing that traditional tobacco use remains at record lows and vapor product use has significantly declined since 2019.

THR Would Save Lives

Dave Cross

Tobacco harm reduction policies would save 464,000 lives in Uzbekistan, says new report by the experts at Smoke Free Sweden and THR.net. The adoption of tobacco harm reduction (THR) measures, including greater access to nicotine alternatives such as vapes, would help to save 464,000 lives in Uzbekistan, the authors of the major new piece of research state.

Leading international experts who conducted the study say THR should be a central component of tobacco control in the country, where the government is instead drafting a law banning the import, sale and production of e-cigarettes and tobacco heating systems.

Doctors should embrace e-cigarettes

As a method of smoking reduction

The health risks associated with cigarette smoking have been documented for decades. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 480,000 Americans die every year from cigarette smoking. Fewer than 1 in 10 adults who smoke cigarettes succeed in quitting each year. Traditional smoking cessation methods and incentives fail for over 90% of smokers. To reduce negative health outcomes and save lives, we need to use every available tool to maximize smoking cessation results and improve public health.

Fight brewing over the return of …

New smoking laws for South Africa

With the reintroduction of the Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill in Parliament set for this week (4 September), the chorus of warnings by those against the Bill continues.

Critics argue that the Bill is likely to push consumers towards harmful illicit markets and stress that it lacks practical, people-centric solutions for smoking cessation and harm reduction.

On this Day…2023

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

ETHRA August News roundup

European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates

ETHRA’s monthly roundup of news: ETHRA letter to SANT – CAPHRA Shadow Report – ASH Mythbuster – Norwegian vape flavour ban consultation – Flavours under threat in nicotine pouch regulation – German tobacco control anti-THR report – Large-scale study finds #THRworks. Read on for more…

Government must amplify its vaping plan

Martin Cullip

When it comes to smoking, one of the greatest pressures the NHS faces, the government has admirably embraced e-cigarette use to prevent smoking-related diseases, rather than waiting to treat the cause. However, e-cigarettes are being undermined by an Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) report published at the start of the month.

ASH found that more than one in four smokers wrongly believe that vaping is as or more harmful as smoking and the perception is getting worse, not better. Despite there being clear evidence that e-cigarettes are far less harmful than combustible tobacco and a very effective way of quitting, the data shows that “among the 2.9 million smokers who have tried vaping but stopped, 44 per cent believe vaping is as harmful or more than smoking up from 25 per cent in 2019.”