Vapers Digest 4th September
Wednesday’s News at a glance:
Global Action to End Smoking Files Amicus Brief with U.S. Supreme Court Seeking FDA’s Proper Application of Public Health Standard ~ Finland plans to raise tax on tobacco products but not vapes ~ Gov’t Urged to Revise Tobacco Control Act 2016 ~ “Pragmatism to reduce smoking in Spain” ~ The Expert Exchange: Doctor Colin Mendelsohn ~ OPINION: Ottawa’s anti-science war on safer nicotine alternatives ~ ‘Spice Vapes’ Warning ~ Peter Hajek Gets It ~ Industry Boss Says BMA Is “Deluded” ~ FDA Briefs U.S. Supreme Court on the Nicotine Brain Fallacy ~ AVI RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL IN THE HINDU ~ ETHRA July and August news roundup ~ FDA Is Potentially Pushing Vapers Toward Dangerous Alternatives
Global Action to End Smoking Files Amicus Brief
with U.S. Supreme Court Seeking FDA’s Proper Application of Public Health Standard
Cliff Douglas, Global Action to End Smoking
Global Action to End Smoking, an authority in the fight to end the smoking epidemic, today filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Food and Drug Administration v. Wages and White Lion Investments, LLC. Global Action respectfully submitted this brief in the interest of public health in support of neither party to provide critical objective scientific information to the Court. It seeks to make clear that the FDA must properly implement the requirements of the Family Smoking and Tobacco Prevention Act in its regulation of e-cigarettes to ensure adult smokers have access to scientifically proven tools that can lower their risk and cigarette dependence.
Finland plans to raise tax on tobacco products but not vapes
Ali Anderson, Clearing The Air
Finland plans to raise taxes on tobacco products but not vapes and e-liquids.
However, despite evidence proving that vapes help smokers to quit, a leading anti-smoking charity has hit out at the decision not to tax them on a par with cigarettes.
Suomen ASH, a non-governmental health organisation in Finland, has submitted a statement in opposition to the move. It says: “We consider it important that the tax on all tobacco and nicotine products – including nicotine products that do not contain tobacco – is increased regularly.
Gov’t Urged to Revise Tobacco Control Act 2016
Tobacco Harm Reduction Uganda (THR Uganda), a leading advocate for tobacco harm reduction in the country, has called on the government to revise the Tobacco Control Act 2016, arguing that while the legislation controls the demand for the consumption of tobacco and its products, the supply of tobacco and its products to the population, and protecting the environment from the effects of tobacco production and consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke, it falls short of providing solutions to smokers seeking to quit cigarettes.
Three From Dave Cross, Planet Of The Vapes
‘Spice Vapes’ Warning
The UK Vaping Industry Association warns of increase in illegal ‘Spice vapes’ and calls for urgent government action to protect young people. The UK Vaping Industry Association wants to make it crystal clear that the regulated nicotine vape industry is in no way connected with the trend of using open vape devices as a delivery mechanism for illegal drugs.
Peter Hajek Gets It
Planet of the Vapes covered the report published by the British Medical Association (BMA) on Friday. In it, the BMA offers recommendations for stronger vaping regulation and makes some ridiculous statements. Professor Peter Hajek, a man behind so many excellent studies that have helped us to understand the efficacy and relative risk of vaping better, has responded to the professional association for doctors’ demands.
Industry Boss Says BMA Is “Deluded”
John Dunne, Director General of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), has said the British Medical Association (BMA) is “deluded” if it believes that banning flavours will help smokers quit. Mr Dunne has released a comprehensive statement following the release of the BMA’s report. UKVIA’s top man has also been interviewed on BBC Radio Merseyside.
FDA Briefs U.S. Supreme Court on the Nicotine Brain Fallacy
Dr. Brad Rodu, Tobacco Truth
Responding to a petition from the FDA, the Supreme Court agreed to review the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the Triton case (formally known as Wages & White Lion Investments, LLC). The Circuit Court, sitting en banc, had found that the FDA failed to follow proper administrative procedures in considering Triton’s vaping pre-market tobacco application (PMTA), and the agency’s denial order was vacated.
Skip Murray, Skip’s Corner
It has been three years since 15 past presidents of the SRNT published Balancing Consideration of the Risks and Benefits of E-Cigarettes and two years since Seth Mnookin wrote about the Vape Wars.
Where do we stand in 2024? Are we in the same place as we were in 2021-2022? Have we made any progress in finding balance? Are we going backward?
AVI RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL IN THE HINDU
Below is our detailed, referenced response to the above opinion piece published in The Hindu on August 26, 2024. The article, written by clinical psychologist Bhavna Barmi, exaggerates vaping harms with false claims and misrepresents data, which fans anti-vaping hysteria. We support well-conceived measures to combat teen vaping, but call for a pragmatic discussion and policymaking which also balances the needs of India’s 270 million adult tobacco users, of which 100 million smoke.
A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise…
Harmonizing Tobacco Harm Reduction
& RRP Waste Management: A Dual Road to Sustainability
Idwala Research
In our blog, Is RRP waste the biggest threat to THR?, we argued that the risks of not implementing comprehensive reduced-risk product (RRP) waste management solutions aren’t limited to environmental concerns alone. It threatens the very foundation of tobacco harm reduction. While many opponents of THR have historically hinged their arguments on oft-debunked science, the concerns surrounding RRP waste and its environmental impact stand on firmer scientific ground and indeed need addressing.
Standing for harm reduction:
The EU’s duty to smokers worldwide – Liza Katsiashvili
In an increasingly interconnected world, the actions of one region can reverberate far beyond its borders. Nowhere is this more evident than in matters of public health and harm reduction. As the European Union grapples with its stance on harm reduction strategies for smokers, the implications of its decisions stretch well beyond its borders, impacting global health and the fight against smoking-related harm.
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