Vapers Digest 23rd May
Friday’s News at a glance:
Paper Slams Glantz Findings ~ Glantz Meta-Analysis Humiliated ~ Spain Tries to Ban Pouches — And the EU Isn’t Having It ~ Combating Mis“zyn”formation on Nicotine Pouches ~ Swedish government takes a stand – challenging France’s pouch ban ~ The Truth Is, There Is Pride In Quitting Smoking With Vapes, Snus & Pouches! ~ Poland’s proposed law to restrict nicotine passes major hurdle ~ Hungary Should Call Out the WHO’s Harm Reduction Hypocrisy at COP11 ~ Czech Republic Must Rethink WHO-Backed Tobacco Policies Amid Rising Harm Reduction Evidence ~ Why is tobacco harm reduction such a controversial issue? ~ Letter to Health Commissioner Varhelyi regarding vapes and ‘popcorn lung’ ~ EL CHIDIAC: Why does Canada follow UN guidelines in its war on smokers? ~ Less tobacco, more revenue: Unlock India’s value-added tobacco opportunity ~ 7 Tech Upgrades that Could Transform Vaping~ New Study Finds that Youth Vaping Served as a Substitute for Smoking But Concludes the Opposite
Two from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes
Paper Slams Glantz Findings
Drs Konstantinos Farsalinos and Peter Lee have published a paper criticising a meta-analysis by Stanton Glantz, claiming to link e-cigarettes with smo ~ king-related diseases. The experts set out to verify the accuracy of the reported findings by Glantz et al., to examine whether the studies cited in the meta-analysis were relevant to the outcomes, to perform a new meta-analysis using studies with relevant outcomes, and to critically evaluate whether even the studies which included relevant outcomes were appropriate to generate conclusions about a causal association between e-cigarette use and clinical outcomes.
Glantz Meta-Analysis Humiliated
A newly published peer-reviewed analysis conducted by Brad Rodu, Nantaporn Plurphanswat and Jordan Rodu, and published in Internal and Emergency Medicine, calls into question the scientific integrity of a frequently cited meta-analysis that claimed e- cigarettes pose health risks comparable to those of traditional tobacco smoking.
Spain Tries to Ban Pouches — And the EU Isn’t Having It
Juan Taborcia, Considerate Pouchers
Spain’s Ministry of Health, led by Mónica García, has quietly launched one of the most extreme anti-nicotine measures in Europe — and now other EU countries are fighting back.
The new draft Royal Decree, currently under EU notification (TRIS 2025/0044/ES), proposes two key things: a total ban on all nicotine pouch flavours and a nicotine cap of 0.99mg per pouch — one of the lowest in Europe. It’s a move that would effectively wipe these products off the Spanish market overnight.
Combating Mis“zyn”formation on Nicotine Pouches
Sofia Hamilton, CounterPunch
As they were with the advent of e-cigarettes and vapes, parents of teens are up in arms about the rise in popularity of nicotine pouches like Zyn. While it is certainly their right to care about the goings-on of their children, these meddlesome parents are especially prone to misinformation (or, as the chronically online youth would say, mis“zyn”formation) about these products.
Swedish government takes a stand – challenging France’s pouch ban
Poland’s draft Bill to heavily restrict the sale and contents of nicotine pouches has been unanimously approved by Parliament’s lower house.
Members of the Sejm voted overwhelmingly in favour of the government’s proposal to introduce a tight regulatory framework for nicotine pouches.
The legislation proposes banning the marketing and sale of pouches to anyone aged under 18, prohibiting all vending machines and remote sales (such as online), and regulating ingredients such as additives.
Two from Lindsey Stroud, Tobacco Harm Reduction 101 (THR101)
Hungary Should Call Out the WHO’s Harm Reduction Hypocrisy at COP11
More than two decades ago, on April 7, 2004, Hungary became a party to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). In the 21 years since joining the world’s first global tobacco treaty, Hungary has little progress to show—yet there is cause for optimism.
In recent years, the introduction of tobacco harm reduction products, particularly heated tobacco, has led to notable declines in combustible cigarette consumption. And while Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s office has hinted at a possible departure from the World Health Organization, it may be time for other Hungarian officials to reconsider the country’s participation in a treaty that has failed to deliver meaningful results.
Czech Republic Must Rethink WHO-Backed Tobacco Policies Amid Rising Harm Reduction Evidence
On June 1, the Czech Republic will mark 13 years since joining the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)—the world’s first global health treaty aimed at reducing tobacco-related harm. Combustible cigarettes, the primary driver of tobacco-related deaths, are responsible for over 8 million fatalities annually and cost the global economy an estimated $1.4 trillion each year.
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