Vapers Digest 15th August

Monday’s News at a glance:

The FDA’s Tiresome Tobacco Whack-A-Mole Game – Vaping and Nicotine Consumer Groups Around the World – Parliament 2 – Colombia threatens to raise taxes – Switching Reduces Vascular Damage – Don’t Do Stupid | Message to FDA from Tobacco Expert – Africa: Tobacco Harm Reduction – Still a long way to go? – Decriminalise smoking, vaping and possession – Vape law described as one of the most well-studied pieces of legislation – E-cigarette use to reduce smoking may not increase nicotine dependence – Nicotine Science and Policy Daily Digest

FDA’s Tiresome Tobacco Whack-A-Mole

Lindsey Stroud

Aug. 2 was the deadline to submit comments on new product standards proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to end the sale of flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes.

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) Consumer Center did a deep analysis on the issue of protecting public health. But, as evidenced by previous prohibitionist policies, TPA was cautious in describing how the new rulemaking could improve public health while not creating additional problems. TPA determined that there is no need for the FDA to move forward with these policies. In fact, the FDA is delaying adult access to less harmful tobacco products while creating a whack-a-mole regulatory regime that will severely harm consumers.

Vaping and Nicotine Consumer Groups

Around the World – Jim McDonald

There are more than 50 vaping and nicotine consumer rights groups around the world now, with more forming all the time. For many of the world’s vapers and non-combustible nicotine users, it has never been easier to find an established consumer group that is fighting to protect their right to use low-risk smoking alternatives.

But almost three times as many countries don’t have a consumer organization. Among the countries without a group that represents vapers are Australia, Japan, Israel, Russia, Turkey, Pakistan, and Poland. Only one Arabic-speaking country—Tunisia—has a consumer vaping group. Some of those countries ban nicotine sales, but not all of them.

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Parliament 2

Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes

Baroness Eaton and Lord Farmer asked Her Majesty’s Government about men’s health in the House of Lords, referencing the ongoing missing in action Tobacco Control Plan. Sarah Olney quizzed the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the environmental impact of vapes in the House of Commons.

Conservative life peer Baroness Eaton asked Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to ensuring men’s health is made a ministerial priority, and making improvements to men’s health a specific strand of work within the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

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Colombia threatens to raise taxes

Alberto Hernandez

Last week, Colombian Green Alliance congresswoman Carolina Giraldo presented an initiative to increase the tobacco tax within the tax reform that is about to take place in the country. Unfortunately, the initiative, which is presented as a source of income for the State and “in favor of the fundamental right to health”, also includes the establishment of a tax on vapers. Colombia thus joins the long list of countries seeking to discourage vaping through higher taxes.

This initiative is doomed to fail in its proposed objectives. There is enough scientific evidence to ensure that establishing a tax on vaping will not only fail to achieve its goals, but will be harmful and counterproductive.

Switching Reduces Vascular Damage

Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes

CoEHAR (Centre of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction) researchers, involved in the Replica project, have found that switching to electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products reduce the vascular damage and the onset of smoking-related diseases. The research findings are a strong challenge to the common misconception that using e-cigarettes and heated tobacco can be just as bad as smoking.

The work has been published by the international network of independent laboratories of the Replica project, a group of scientists leading the world in the field of harm reduction. The latest study published evaluated the harm caused to endothelial cells (the cells which release substances that control vascular relaxation and contraction) by cigarette smoke compared to electronic cigarette and heated tobacco products.

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Don’t Do Stupid

Message to FDA from Tobacco Expert | RegWatch

Tobacco control expert David Sweanor says he remains “hopeful” for the future of nicotine vaping in the United States.
But it all depends on whether the FDA embraces the maxim: don’t do stupid.

*Guest: David Sweanor, Adj. Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa & Tobacco-control Policy Expert

Only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com. Shot on location in Warsaw, Poland, at the Global Forum on Nicotine 2022.

The Advocates Voice – 18 August 22

CAPHRA

The Advocates Voice will premiere a new episode on 18 August at 0800HK (20:00 EDT 17 August). https://bit.ly/3C4iQQc. Philippines, Malaysia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Please share in your networks. #vapefam #THRworks

Africa: Tobacco Harm Reduction

Still a long way to go? – Seynabou Sall

The topic of tobacco and more specifically tobacco harm reduction is highly volatile and considering recent studies on this matter, it may not calm down soon.

There are those who affirm that cessation – thanks to Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) (approved by the World Health Organization with products such as patches) – is the only way out for smokers.  Others believe that NRT is not efficient and that intermediary and more effective alternatives exist to help smokers to quit. Among those alternatives are heated tobacco, electronic cigarettes and snus (a moist oral tobacco originated in Sweden and mainly used in Nordic countries). These are also called smoke-free products but, throughout the African continent, they are only available in South Africa.

Nojeem Adetuberu: Tobacco harm reduction

That Africa is not left behind

There is unanimity across the world on the need to reduce smoking rates among people. Whether it is the ubiquitous cigarettes, or cigars or water pipes known locally as shisha in Nigeria, every concerned stakeholder wants a drop, indeed a continuous drop in smoking rates.

While cigarettes have always received the most attention, people are beginning to also realise the danger that shisha portends especially to young people among whom it is increasingly popular.

Decriminalise smoking, vaping and…

Possession of smoking products under GEG bill

KUALA LUMPUR: A think tank has urged the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) reviewing the tobacco generational endgame (GEG) bill to remove Clause 17 of the legislation.

The clause criminalises smoking, vaping as well as the possession of any tobacco products or smoking devices by those born in 2007 and onwards.

Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive officer Azrul Mohd Khalib said the law should instead put the burden on retailers, companies and corporations to not sell or supply tobacco and vape products to the GEG generation.

Vape law described as one of the…

Most well-studied pieces of legislation

Lawmakers described the Vape Law as one of the most highly-studied pieces of legislation that passed multiple hearings in Congress to provide a comprehensive regulatory framework on smoke-free products which are being viewed as less harmful options to cigarettes.

Former Representative Wes Gatchalian, one of the main authors of Republic Act No. 11900 or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, said the law was enacted to regulate these new products and provide smokers a fighting chance to survive.

E-cigarette use to reduce smoking

May not increase nicotine dependence

Electronic cigarettes have attracted media and consumer attention for claims of their addictive nature, variety of flavors, and increased use among teens, sparking regulatory oversight and policies. A Penn State College of Medicine study suggests that these devices may help people decrease their dependence on combustible cigarettes — which contain an array of harmful chemicals called toxicants — without increasing their overall nicotine dependence.

Smoking is a leading cause of death in the U.S., and despite interest in quitting and the availability of FDA-approved cessation methods, smokers still struggle to quit.

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On this Day…2021

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

2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey 

Introduced U.S. Youth to Heat-Not-Burn Tobacco Brands – Brad Rodu

Anti-tobacco crusaders continue to promote e-cigarettes and vape products to the nation’s youth.

ABC News has published a screed by University of Chicago pediatric resident physician Chidimma Acholonu in which she claims that “now a new smoke-free alternative called heated tobacco  is slowly gaining a foothold in the U.S. market…While heated tobacco products [known as heat-not-burn, HNB] only became legal in the United States in 2019, the device have [sic] already started to catch the attention of high school students.”

Hardly any US teens use heated tobacco, but that doesn’t stop the fearmongering

Successful Vape Stories: 

Vast database reveals the truth! – CASAA

With the goal of creating the world’s largest collection of successful vape stories, two leading consumer advocacy groups have launched the RightToVape.org site.

Already boasting nearly 14,000 testimonials, the site demonstrates growing anger from across the globe that evidence is being ignored and many people’s right to choose safer alternatives is being denied.

Now live, righttovape.org is a joint venture between the US-based Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) and the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).

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Visit Nicotine Science & Policy for more News from around the World

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