Vapers Digest 20th September

Friday’s News at a glance:

YouGov Assesses Support for Bans – Deadly Canada Ban Defies Science – Australian Vape Depression Claim – US Teen Rates Continue To Fall – Tasmanian Devils – Flavoured vapes best at reducing smoking – Vape ban in the Netherlands has backfired – Free vapes in emergency rooms help smokers quit – Voices of Harm Reduction Pt 2: Lindsey Stroud – It’s Not a Ban… But It’s a Ban – It’s Pumpkin Spice Everything Season! – Irish Legislative Developments – Why The War On Vaping Is Needlessly Killing People – Georgia Department of Health – Tucker Carlson Turns His Back on ZYN – Need to explore safer novel alternatives – Global Impact of Tobacco Harm Reduction

Four from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:

YouGov Assesses Support for Bans

The government is dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill which will likely see them introducing a ban on smoking (and possibly vaping) in outdoor public areas, including in pub beer gardens, outside hospital entrances, on the streets by the doors of nightclubs, and in and around sports grounds. Survey company YouGov has looked at whether Britons would support an outdoor smoking ban and how this breaks down by party they’d vote for.

YouGov says: “Labour’s proposals have received support from public health experts, while drawing concerns from those in the hospitality industry, particularly publicans who believe they would noticeably suffer. But what do the British public think about the proposals?

Deadly Canada Ban Defies Science

Leading international health experts have criticised Canada’s new laws restricting the sale of nicotine pouches as a “deadly error” and “a backward step” in the global fight against the toll of tobacco. Although not as popular as vaping in the United Kingdom, pouches have been recognised as helping Sweden to become the world’s first smokefree country.

Nicotine pouches are proven to be significantly safer alternatives to combustible cigarettes and are assisting millions of smokers worldwide to quit their habit. They have played a major role in the success of Sweden, which is on the brink of becoming the first country to achieve official smoke-free status.

Australian Vape Depression Claim

The Daily Mail says a study from a team at the University of Sydney “reveals (a vaping) everyday habit may double the risk of depression”. The researchers look at everything the wrong way round and declare that there is a critical need for mental health support to prevent vaping uptake in patients.

Considering the Daily Fail goes on to promote one of its other pieces, “The sinister truth about vaping – and why it’s NOT a safer option”, it’s safe to say that honesty and facts are not at the top of the editorial team’s priority list

Tasmanian Devils

The Tasmanian Branch of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia welcomed the announcement by the state Government to restrict the sale of nicotine-containing vapes to patients with a valid prescription from a GP or nurse practitioner. It went on to make claims that vaping doesn’t work for smoking cessation – despite a wealth of evidence to the contrary.

Tasmanian Guild President Helen O’Byrne joined Tasmanian Health Minister, the Hon Guy Barnett MP at the state Government’s announcement.

US Teen Rates Continue To Fall

The National Youth Tobacco Survey 2024 results are in, showing that youth e-cig use has declined again, down to 5.9% who used at all in the past-30-day-use category. The results show that the decline is now over 70% from the 2019 peak – pouring cold water on claims of teen epidemics or the need to impose harsh restrictions on adults.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that half a million fewer U.S. youth reported current use of e-cigarettes in 2024 compared to 2023, according to new data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) released today by it and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Three from Ali Anderson, Clearing the Air:

Flavoured vapes best at reducing smoking

Flavoured vapes, including fruit and sweet options, are more effective at reducing smoking than traditional tobacco flavour, a new study has found.

Countries around the world are increasingly banning the sale of flavoured vapes, allowing only tobacco and menthol flavours. The aim is to reduce the appeal of vaping among children and young people.

However, a new report, published in the Journal of American Medical Association, suggests the move will negatively impact adults trying to quit or cut down on smoking

Vape ban in the Netherlands has backfired

A ban on online vape sales and flavours in the Netherlands has been ineffective, a new survey has revealed. The poll by Dutch vaping consumer association ACVODA found that since the ban came into force on January 1, 2024, most vapers (80 per cent) have simply switched to buying vapes from other countries or online.

The new research among adult Dutch vape users, with an average age of 52, shows that the flavour ban has not changed their use of vapes. It found that 50 per cent now travel to neighbouring countries to buy them and 30 per cent order online or via social media sellers based abroad.

Free vapes in emergency rooms…

Help smokers quit, new report finds

Giving out free vapes in emergency hospital rooms helps smokers to quit, a new study shows. Research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) found that providing A&E patients who smoke with vapes helped more than half to either quit or reduce the deadly habit.

The trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and run by UEA’s Norwich Clinical Trials Unit, took place across six UK hospitals. More than half the participants the research team managed to contact six months after their visit to the emergency department had quit or reduced smoking and a third of those who quit smoking were also not vaping.

Press release – Merci La Vape white paper published and distributed https://t.co/6OkDQtL6yM

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

Thread 👇 (trying to explain things to a cheeky boy) https://t.co/88qxiQij0q

— Jukka Kelovuori (@jkelovuori) September 20, 2024

Voices of Harm Reduction Pt 2:

Lindsey Stroud

Lindsey Stroud started her journey as a political staffer and found her passion for tobacco harm reduction when she joined the Heartland Institute in 2016, diving into the world of vaping advocacy. Now with the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, she created the annual 50 State Analysis, offering an in-depth look at tobacco and vaping trends across the country.

Tell us about yourself – who are you and how did you end up working on safer nicotine products?

It’s Not a Ban… But It’s a Ban

Joseph Hart

Some nations have outright banned nicotine pouches, while others have taken what seems like a softer approach. However, on closer look, some of these recent policies are a ban in all but name.

Let’s take a look at what’s happening in Canada and Luxembourg where the difference between a ban and permissive regulation is paper thin.

It’s Pumpkin Spice Everything Season!

Kim “Skip” Murray

People can call me a nerd, geek, weirdo, or whatever they want. I call myself a happy camper. I love conferences, webinars, podcasts, and TED talks. Once summer ends, my calendar quickly fills up with multiple choices to feed my endless curiosity (see events listing further down this newsletter).

I’m lucky I work a unique shift at the group home. Working 3:00 AM—9:00 AM means I am awake when conferences occur across the ocean. I log into as many virtual options as I can.

Irish Legislative Developments

Joe Dunne, Hale Vaping

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has announced Cabinet approval to commence drafting new legislation that proposes introducing the most draconian regulation of vaping anywhere in the developed world

This is despite the fact that the most recent Public Health Bill pertaining to vaping, which outlaws sales to under 18s, has only been in place for nine months. The accompanying licensing regime has yet to be implemented, and there is little to no enforcement.

Georgia Department of Health

Continues to Undermine Public Health – Lindsey Stroud

Recently on social media, the Georgia Department of Health (GADOH) criticized e-cigarettes, suggesting they are dangerous. This position, unfortunately, aligns with the agency’s history of skepticism toward vaping as a tobacco harm reduction tool, despite evidence from numerous public health organizations that find e-cigarettes less harmful and helpful in assisting adults to quit smoking.

Policymakers should be wary of the misinformation being spread by a taxpayer-funded agency tasked with protecting public health.

Global Impact of Tobacco Harm Reduction

Global Forum on Nicotine

Our latest GFN Voices features Alex Wodak and Konstantinos Farsalinos, under discussion is the tragic impact of the disinformation campaigns and the role played by organizations like WHO.

Why The War On Vaping …

Is Needlessly Killing People

Vast experience has demonstrated that vaping is the most effective tool for helping people give up cigarettes. Yet it remains in the crosshairs of the FDA, the CDC, the WHO and an endless pool of politicians. The FDA, in fact, has put a virtual hold on approving vaping products. Almost all e-cigarettes sold now are illegal, which spawns black markets and serious safety concerns.

The FDA’s obstinate, unscientific hostility has cost countless lives. This episode of What’s Ahead explains why the approach of U.S. public health officials and government bodies should be the opposite of what it is today.

Trouble in Paradise:

Tucker Carlson Turns His Back on ZYN – Joseph Hart

It was a love affair for the ages. When Tucker met ZYN, everything seemed possible. He ran to the media, extolling the virtues of nicotine pouches, praising the harm-reduction product for making him feel productive, mentally clear, and unstoppable in the bedroom.

However, news that ZYN manufactures Philip Morris International funded Kamala Harris’ Presidential drive has changed everything. Carlson is no longer the unofficial face of ZYN, and this very public breakup only looks like getting messier, as evidenced by this interview below.

Tobacco industry benefiting …

From more lenient FDA oversight

A leading tobacco industry analyst is reporting that the Food and Drug Administration has taken on a more lenient approach to regulating the industry, particularly with electronic cigarettes.

Barclays analyst Gaurav Jain said in a report last week that the industry is benefiting from four recent FDA developments highlighted by increased enforcement efforts against unregulated imported e-cigarette products.

Need to explore safer novel alternatives

Nikhil Vyas | New Delhi

Public Health experts have called for innovative strategies for revitalising India’s tobacco cessation drive and also emphasised the urgent need to reinforce conventional methods of quitting tobacco in the country.

Affecting millions and leading to severe health implications, the prevalence of smoking in the country remains alarmingly high. India’s unique tobacco burden, with both traditional forms like ‘bidis’ and modern cigarettes contributing to widespread usage, calls for innovative cessation strategies.

On this Day…2023

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

David Fraser, Philip Morris International

A potential tenfold reduction in smoking-attributable deaths is possible if people who currently smoke were to switch to smoke-free products, Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) will state in a speech today. He will explain the role smoke-free products can play in ending cigarette smoking globally and the human consequences of inaction.

“For over a decade, PMI has championed a smoke-free future. Having invested more than $10.5 billion to scientifically research, develop, and commercialize smoke-free products—which today account for more than a third of our total net revenues—we are living this future,” says Olczak. “Yet, inexplicably, there are countries stuck in the past where smokers can easily access cigarettes—the most harmful form of nicotine consumption—but not the better option of smoke-free alternatives.”

WHO asked to protect a billion smokers

Manila Standard Business

A regional civil society group asked the World Health Organization’s (WHO) international treaty on tobacco control which will convene its member states in November 2023 to protect, instead of alienating smokers, by accepting harm reduction strategies that will help them switch to less harmful alternatives such as vapes.

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) called on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to provide honest, risk-proportionate communication and regulatory recommendations for THR products.

Chuck Dinerstein, MD, MBA, American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)

The Cochrane Library just completed a review of “the comparative benefits, harms and tolerability of different smoking cessation pharmacotherapies and e-cigarettes, when used to help people stop smoking tobacco.” Spoiler alert: as we have claimed, e-cigarettes are a significant aid in reducing dependency on smoking tobacco.