In the News October 25th
Tuesdays News at a glance:
Fire deaths down dramatically in Minnesota, ‘vaping’ may be one reason- I’m sorry I haven’t got A Billion Lives for you anyway – Why Is The FDA Dragging its Feet on Admitting Snus is Safer Than Smoking? – Vapers beware: E-cigarettes in line for a big tax increase if Proposition 56 passes – Anti-Vapers Say E-Cigarettes Drive ‘Tobacco Epidemic’ – Could Vaping be a New Weapon in the Battle of the Bulge? – A Billion Lives – What Are Public Health Officials Afraid Of ? – Why requiring low-nicotine cigarettes is still ill-advised – Electronic Cigarettes
Fire deaths down dramatically in Minnesota, ‘vaping’ may be one reason
MPRNews
Fire deaths are taking a historic plunge in Minnesota this year, down dramatically from 2015.
“We are on record pace for having the lowest number of fire deaths ever in Minnesota, and we surely hope that pace continues,” said Minnesota State Fire Marshal Bruce West. “Right now we’re at 24, and that’s compared to 49 at this time last year.”
West spoke as the heating season is poised to start in earnest — often a precipitating factor in deadly fires as residents turn to space heaters, ovens and other potentially dangerous heat sources as the weather grows colder.
I’m sorry I haven’t got A Billion Lives for you anyway
Vapers In Power
Why should I reserve a ticket at one of these A Billion Lives Screenings?
A Billion Lives is a film about the “official” reaction to vaping.
It is currently being offered at a few cinemas in the UK through a service called Demand Film. The idea is that if enough (~60) people reserve a ticket for a specific screening, on a specific time and at a specific place, that screening goes ahead. You can even host your own screening.
Why Is The FDA Dragging its Feet on Admitting Snus is Safer Than Smoking?
Reason
It’s now been a full year since the Food and Drug Administration signaled that it was nearing a decision on whether a Swedish-made tobacco product could be marketed in the United States as a less-harmful alternative to smoking.
What’s taking them so long?
Stockholm-based Swedish Match won permission from the FDA in November 2015 to sell its smokeless tobacco products, known as “snus,” in the United States. Snus consists of a small packet, similar to a tea bag, filled with tobacco powder. It is placed in the upper lip, in a manner similar to chewing tobacco or “dip” but does not require chewing or spitting.
Vapers beware: E-cigarettes in line for a big tax increase if Proposition 56 passes
LA Times
Most of the attention on the Proposition 56 tobacco tax has focused on the potential $2-per-pack increase in the price of cigarettes.
Less examined is a provision under which the booming e-cigarette market would be taxed in California for the first time – and the increase will be huge.
E-cigarette liquid containing nicotine could be taxed at a rate as high as 67%, according to state estimates, an amount that an e-cigarette trade group believes would boost the price consumers pay for a typical 30-milliliter bottle to about $30 from around $20 today.
Anti-Vapers Say E-Cigarettes Drive ‘Tobacco Epidemic’
Daily Caller
Proponents of a new tax on electronic cigarettes are blaming the devices for tobacco use among children and claim they are contributing to the “tobacco epidemic.”
Proposition 56 in California will hike the state’s tobacco tax from 87 cents to $2.87. The ballot would also allow the state government to begin taxing e-cigarette sales for the first time, which opponents argue harms an industry helping smokers quit. Many experts warn that other states will follow suit if California is successful and worry it could devastate the vaping industry, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
Could Vaping be a New Weapon in the Battle of the Bulge?
The Guardian
E-cigarettes might help smokers who are quitting keep the pounds off, say researchers, suggesting that vaping could be harnessed in the fight against obesity.
Weight gain is a major concern among smokers looking to quit. On average individuals put on 5kg in the first year they go without cigarettes. Nicotine is known to suppress appetite and increase metabolic rate, among other effects.
While nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) can help to control weight gain and help smokers to quit, researchers have suggested that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes might be a better option.
A Billion Lives – Demand Film
Coming to a Cinema near You – Reserve your tickets Now!
Wed, Oct 26, 2016
The Printworks, Manchester – Odeon Preston – Odeon Glasgow Braehead
Tue, Nov 1, 2016
Odeon Tamworth – Odeon Worcester – Odeon Lincoln Wharf
Thu, Nov 3, 2016
Odeon Newark – Odeon Bracknell
Mon, Nov 7, 2016 – Odeon Bristol
Wed, Nov 16, 2016
Odeon Greenwich – Odeon Hatfield
A Billion Lives – What Are Public Health Officials Afraid Of ?
Midnight Musings
Around the UK, people have been applying to host a screening of the award winning documentary ‘A Billion Lives’. To date, two screenings are confirmed – Glasgow and Swansea. Others have not yet met their minimum quota of reservations to guarantee a viewing.
Much has been made of the apathy of Vapers around the country in not supporting the screening of this film, but Vapers are not, and should not, be the focus for this film.
The people who SHOULD be coming to see this film in droves are the Public Health officials, blinded by ideology, and the Politicians who form laws and regulations based on those ideologies. But these are the very people who will not see the film unless Vapers around the country rally to the cause and reserve tickets for the different screenings being planned all around the UK.
Why requiring low-nicotine cigarettes is still ill-advised
The Conversation
Global policymakers will soon consider a policy of requiring that only reduced-nicotine cigarettes can be manufactured or sold. This may sound good, but as someone who has studied tobacco for decades, I believe it is premature to deploy this as a tool to improve global health.
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003 was the first international treaty created by the World Health Organization. Some 180 countries have ratified it; the U.S. has not.
In 2015 WHO’s expert committee published an advisory report that promotes, with caveats, a global consideration of “a policy for limiting the sale of cigarettes to brands with a nicotine content that is not sufficient to lead to the development and/or maintenance of addiction.”
Electronic Cigarettes – The Debate
ASH Wales
The advent of e-cigarettes has caused much debate in the public health community. Some take a cautionary approach, and others see e-cigarettes in a more positive light.
Supporters consider them to be an effective smoking cessation device which is less harmful than tobacco cigarettes. E-cigarettes deliver nicotine without the vast majority of the other chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes that are responsible for smoking-related diseases. For this reason organisations such as the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have indicated that e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco.
Reason's Eric Boehm: FDA foot dragging on safer snus https://t.co/99HnrhU0we. Inexcusable. pic.twitter.com/LbfneVpMUh
— Brad Rodu (@BradRodu) October 25, 2016
Visit Nicotine Science & Policy for more News from around the World
Why haven’t the film makers of a Billion Lives been pushing for cinema releases?