Vapers Digest 27th August

Wednesday’s News at a glance:

Vaping and Harm in Young People ~ Deputy PM Accused of Hypocrisy ~ Nicotine pouch, cannabis, vaping, psychedelic use on the rise among US adults ~ Spain’s Reply on TRIS Detailed opinion: A Mix of Legitimate Concerns and Disproportionate Measures ~ Swedish politicians resist anti-nicotine dogma, embrace pragmatic progress ~ Media, Researchers Fuel More Vape Misperceptions ~ Volunteers repurpose vapes to power Ukrainian drones ~ Why the B.C. Finance Committee got it right on nicotine pouches ~ What’s new in things to do? ~ Vape Regulation Is Failing ~ Flavored vapes helped smokers like me quit. Trump should lift the FDA ban. | Opinion ~ Fed Up with the FDA, Big Tobacco Goes Nuclear ~ Justin Bieber spotted vaping at LA hotspot ~ Illicit tobacco trade driving up nicotine consumption nationwide ~ What’s Going on with Smoking & Vaping Trends in Australia and New Zealand? ~ Stop vaping, start drinking (until 4am) ~ FCTC Article 5.3: A mandate for transparency or silence? ~ Southeast Asia: Tobacco Market ~ Aligning With the WHO or Supporting Harm Reduction: Belize’s Next Step ~ A fresh look at flavours – Workshop | #GFN25

Two From Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes

Vaping and Harm in Young People

A new study has gained a lot of media coverage for its claim that there were “consistent associations between vaping and subsequent smoking, marijuana use, alcohol use, asthma, cough, injuries and mental health outcomes”. The coverage was typified by the Mirror, which used the headline “Vape warning as teens already show health issues from ‘gateway to smoking’ habit”.

Deputy PM Accused of Hypocrisy

VPZ, the UK’s largest vape retailer dedicated to harm reduction and responsible vaping, is accusing Labour of hypocrisy as images emerge of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner vaping, while Government presses ahead with sweeping proposals to impose tighter restrictions on the UK vaping industry.

Nicotine pouch, cannabis, vaping, psychedelic use on the rise among US adults

Office of the Vice President for Communications, University Of Michigan

The percentage of young and midlife adults using nicotine pouches significantly increased last year, while cannabis use, vaping and the use of psychedelic drugs are at or near all-time highs, according to the latest data from the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future Panel survey.

“Alcohol continues to be the most commonly used substance across age groups, followed by cannabis and nicotine,” said Megan Patrick, research professor at the Institute for Social Research and principal investigator of the MTF Panel Study. “The patterns of substance use are changing over time, with cannabis use, vaping of both nicotine and cannabis, and psychedelic drug use increasing across all age groups. This year, we also saw an increase in the use of nicotine pouches across all age groups.”

Spain’s reply on TRIS Detailed Opinion: A Mix of Legitimate Concerns and Disproportionate Measures

Pouch Forum

As previously reported by Pouchforum Following the Spanish TRIS notification (2025/0044/ES) on its proposed Royal Decree regulating novel nicotine products, the Spanish proposal on regulation of novel nicotine products met a wall of critique in the form of no less than six Member States tabling so called “Detailed Opinions” i.e. the strongest form of critique available in the TRIS system.

Madrid has now responded to the detailed opinions submitted by Romania, Hungary, Czechia, Greece, Italy, and Sweden, as well as comments from Croatia and the European Commission.

Media, Researchers Fuel More Vape Misperceptions

Kiran Sidhu, Filter

Media scaremongering about tobacco harm reduction options, often involving credulous amplifications or distortions of studies that are themselves incomplete or flawed, is a long-established pattern. Press coverage of this kind isn’t confined to tabloids—the New York Times has been one repeat offender—and a recent story in a British national “broadsheet” is being held up as a subtler example.

The news story was published in the Guardian at the end of July, bearing the headline, “Third of UK teenagers who vape will go on to start smoking, research shows.”

Volunteers repurpose vapes to power Ukrainian drones

Joseph Rainbow, BBC News

Disposable vapes are being repurposed into powerbanks and sent to the Ukrainian front lines.

Volunteers at Leeds Ukrainian Community Association (LUCA) recycle components, such as batteries and wires, from the discarded vapes to send to Ukraine to be turned into energy sources for soldiers in remote locations.

The recycled components are used to power drones, phones and night vision devices in the trenches.

Why the B.C. Finance Committee got it right on nicotine pouches

Craig Plain, Cast A Net

Every day, I work with people who are ready to take one of the hardest steps in their lives, to quit smoking.

For most, it’s a deeply personal decision, often years in the making, and it requires the right tools at the right time. That is why I am encouraged, and welcome, the B.C. Finance Committee’s recent recommendation in its pre-budget report to consider increasing access to Health Canada-approved nicotine pouches by allowing their sale alongside tobacco products as a smoking cessation aid.

What’s new in things to do?

Skip Murray, Skip’s Corner – Let’s Talk!

Event Resources:

Check out the public Google calendar of THR-related events created and maintained by Clive Bates.

The event calendars from Ecig Intelligence and Tobacco Reporter have extensive trade show listings. I don’t usually include trade shows and expos in my event listings unless they have dedicated time for speakers covering THR.

This is a valuable resource for information on conferences related to addiction and behavioral issues.

This website shares events centered on health equity and other health-related topics.

Vape Regulation Is Failing

Sean Greenbaum, DC Journal

The United States is facing a crisis of its making. A booming underground industry for unregulated, youth-targeted disposable vapes rakes in nearly $2.4 billion annually. Many of these products, primarily imported from China, slip through customs, bypass age restrictions and are designed — intentionally or not — to attract teens with bright packaging and candy-like flavors.

This is a public health emergency. For years, the Food and Drug Administration has made it worse.

Flavored vapes helped smokers like me quit. Trump should lift the FDA ban. | Opinion

Justin Leventhal, USA Today

Quitting smoking isn’t easy. I started smoking when I was 18 years old – legal at the time – and continued for the better part of two decades. For the last five of those, I was actively trying to quit. After cutting back and attempting to go cold turkey didn’t work, I tried nicotine gum. At the time, no vaping products had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

That changed in 2021, when the FDA began authorizing some vaping products. After trying more traditional methods for two more years, I decided to give vaping a chance. Only two flavors had been approved: tobacco and menthol. Having never liked menthol, I tried the tobacco-flavored vape, which I found disgusting. I quickly switched back to smoking.

Fed Up with the FDA, Big Tobacco Goes Nuclear

Jim McDonald, Vaping 360

Altria Group vape subsidiary NJOY has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the FDA has violated the Tobacco Control Act by delaying marketing decisions on NJOY vape products.

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 21 in the U.S. District Court for Western Louisiana by NJOY and three local businesses, charges the FDA has allowed an appeal for supervisory review of marketing denial orders (MDOs) for flavored NJOY DAILY products to hang in limbo for nearly three years—even after Altria addressed a major deficiency listed in the denial.

Justin Bieber spotted vaping at LA hotspot

Ali Anderson, Clearing The Air

Justin Bieber was spotted vaping in West Hollywood this week inside trendy French restaurant Coucou alongside wife Hailey.

California has banned vaping indoors since 2016 under its workplace and public space smoking laws, but the Canadian superstar didn’t seem fazed as he passed the vape back and forth with Hailey while dining with friends. The model, 28, even held the device for her popstar husband at one point as they shared a relaxed evening.

Bieber, 31, was dressed casually in a grey vest that showed off his tattoos, paired with a striped green-and-yellow hat. Hailey kept it sleek in a black long-sleeve top with her brunette hair styled in an updo. The couple laughed, chatted, and embraced friends before leaving the restaurant in good spirits.

Illicit tobacco trade driving up nicotine consumption nationwide

Jon Kaila, Herald Sun

More nicotine was consumed by Australians last year than eight years ago, plunging into doubt the Federal Government’s claims people are quitting the habit.

The statistics, published by the Australian Crime Intelligence Commission (ACIC), show that since it started producing waste water reports in 2016 nicotine use has increased, even when factoring in a huge population boom.

Nicotine use has also gone up in every state and territory in the past two years, highlighting there has been no decline in demand.

What’s Going on with Smoking & Vaping Trends in Australia and New Zealand?

Arielle Selya PhD, Selya Behavioral Science Substack

There have been several recent papers on population-level trend modeling of smoking and vaping by the research group of Prof. Becky Freeman at University of Sydney. To set expectations about this post, I want to say up front that (1) I’m not sure I entirely understand their methodology, and (2) I don’t have a super strong overall conclusion here.

But I do have a strong personal interest in population trend modeling comparing actual vs. counterfactual (e.g. what would have happened in a hypothetical world without e-cigarettes) smoking trends.

Stop vaping, start drinking (until 4am)

Kirsten Han, We The Citizens

There’s no escape; it’s all over the news that Singapore is coming down hard on vapes. I’ve already covered this in a long issue plus in the last WTC wrap, so I don’t want to repeat myself too much.

In a nutshell, the government has decided that vaping is the new enemy, and they’re going all out with their favourite response: criminalisation and punishment. They don’t care if it’s a regular nicotine vape or a Kpod—they’re all the devil’s puffers.

FCTC Article 5.3: A mandate for transparency or silence?

Mitul Bhowmik, The Financial Express

In the evolving landscape of tobacco control act amendment, Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has emerged as both a cornerstone and a point of contention. While its intent is clear-to protect public health policies from undue influence by the tobacco industry-its interpretation has become increasingly one-sided.

Alarmingly, some civil society actors have begun to portray Article 5.3 as a mandate for complete disengagement from industry stakeholders. This misrepresentation is not only inaccurate, it is economically and democratically risky. The official WHO guidelines for Article 5.3 emphasise transparency, not exclusion.

Governments are encouraged to ensure that any interaction with the tobacco industry is conducted openly, with appropriate safeguards. The guidelines do not prohibit consultation; rather, they call for accountability in how such consultations are managed.

Southeast Asia: Tobacco Market

Tobacco Insider

Southeast Asia is one of the most populus geographical regions in the World with 675 million population. It is home to Indonesia, world’s largest cigarette market outside China. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand also rank within the Top-20 cigarette markets worldwide. Consequently, the Region is of great importance for the Tobacco Industry to balance out the shrinking cigarette sales volume in the West. For instance, world’s largest publicly tradeded tobacco company. Philip Morris International (PMI) sold more than 80 billion sticks of cigarettes in Indonesia in 2024 – which corresponds to 11.4% of its cigarette sales volume. The recent development in the Southeast Asian tobacco market are summarized below.

Aligning With the WHO or Supporting Harm Reduction: Belize’s Next Step

Lindsey Stroud, Tobacco Harm Reduction 101

While stronger regulation may appear necessary as global markets shift toward new nicotine products, there is concern that the legislation will mirror the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Policies stemming from the FCTC are frequently rigid and punitive, failing to account for harm reduction and often pushing adults who smoke – or who seek to quit – toward illicit markets or continued combustible cigarette use.

The Cabinet has authorized the Ministry of Health and Wellness to present the bill to the House of Representatives, following Belize’s participation in a Pan American Health Organization forum earlier this year that examined regional tobacco control measures. Officials stressed the law would include restrictions on advertising and promotion, packaging requirements, smoke-free protections, and special safeguards for youth and vulnerable groups.

A fresh look at flavours – Workshop | #GFN25

Global Forum on Nicotine

Flavours have been a focal point of the debate about safer nicotine products, with calls to ban or restrict flavours often receiving significant media coverage. This workshop highlighted the growing evidence supporting the use of flavours in smoking cessation and explored changing attitudes to these products and the challenges regulators face in creating risk-proportionate legislation.

On this day…2015!

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

10 Outrageous E-Cig Exaggerations That Keep Smokers Smoking

Ashtray Blog

Journalists, scientists and public health experts have all had a lot to say about electronic cigarettes recently. As you’d expect when a subject’s as controversial as this one, what they’ve been saying covers a wide spectrum of accuracy. Some of it’s highly reliable, some might benefit from a less biased interpretation and of course quite a bit is just wrong. And then there’s some that has a kernel of truth but has been blown up to alarming proportions. Here are ten of the wilder vaping-related exaggerations that are doing the rounds – and are sending smokers to an early grave….

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