Vapers Digest 16th December
Monday’s News at a glance:
VPZ Partners with Morrisons – Vapes most effective aid to quitting smoking – Year-end is the time for reflection and goal setting – Nicotine Pouches and Sensationalism Around Snus – Africa Urged to Pursue Home-Grown THR Regulation – Youth vaping declines for a 3rd year in Aotearoa’s largest youth survey of its kind – The Influence of NGOs on Vaping in Australia:
VPZ Partners with Morrisons
Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes
VPZ, the United Kingdom’s leading vaping retailer, is set to open 10 new stores by December 2024 as part of a groundbreaking partnership with the supermarket chain Morrisons, with plans to expand further during 2025. The new in-store outlets will expand the brand’s presence in communities throughout the UK, with seven key locations in Leeds Hunslet, Birmingham Stirchley, Glenrothes, Peterhead, Darlington, Stratford and Grantham.
VPZ’s new collaboration will see the introduction of a new innovative mobile pod concept for customer parking areas, with two planned for Nottingham and one in Rotheram.
Most effective aid to quitting smoking
Ali Anderson
Vapes were found to be the most effective aid for helping people quit smoking in eight out of 11 scientific studies, a major new review has found.
In the remaining three studies, vapes were found to be equally as effective as other methods or no treatment – and no studies concluded they were less successful.
Researchers at the University of Catania in Italy conducted the first-ever umbrella review of studies comparing the effectiveness of vapes to other approaches at helping adult smokers to quit the deadly habit.
Year-end is the time for reflection ..
And goal setting – Kim “Skip” Murray
No matter what side of the nicotine aisle you’re on, you might reflect on 2024 and see victories and defeats. Do you have a tally card of wins and losses?
I do not have a tally. I’ve never been good at keeping score. I don’t see policies I advocate for or against as winning or losing. Policies are things, and I don’t visualize things very well.
I see people. I see those who didn’t start smoking or were able to quit smoking as a good thing – they won. I see those who got sick or died from smoking as a bad thing – they lost.
Look who won’t stop advertising vaping to children 👇 https://t.co/8X873sBLod
— Phil (@phil_w888) December 16, 2024
Media Watch: Nicotine Pouches
And Sensationalism Around Snus
The TES article on snus presents a sensational view of nicotine products that deserves a closer look. While snus is rooted in Swedish culture, for many Brits, it remains an unfamiliar term shrouded with mystery and caution. But how much of this caution is warranted, and where do nicotine pouches truly stand in the landscape of harm reduction? Oh and let’s be clear… snus and nicotine pouches are two different products!
Africa Urged to Pursue Home-Grown
Tobacco Harm Reduction Regulation – Michael Gwarisa
By 1995, Zimbabwe and Malawi were the only major tobacco leaf-growing countries in Africa. However, the number of tobacco-growing nations in Africa has grown exponentially since then. WHO estimates that 8 million people globally die from tobacco use yearly, with 80% living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Due to the projected increase in youthful smokers, the region is expected to face a heavier burden of tobacco-related diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and deaths in the future.
In an effort to curb the growing disease burden and reduce the harm associated with tobacco, several regulations have been introduced globally.
Redução de danos ao tabaco:
O que podemos fazer no Brasil? | With Alessandra Bastos Ep 71
In this compelling episode of the World Vapers’ Alliance Podcast, we take a deep dive into the ongoing challenges and opportunities for tobacco harm reduction (THR) in Brazil. Our guest, Alessandra Bastos Soares, a renowned pharmacist, former Director of ANVISA (Brazil’s Health Regulatory Agency), and co-founder of BS Assess Regulatory Consultancy, shares her expert insights on the prohibition of vaping in Brazil and the stigma that surrounds it.
Youth vaping declines for a 3rd year
In Aotearoa’s largest youth survey of its kind
The 2024 ASH Year 10 Survey of young people’s smoking and vaping behaviour and attitudes has shown that regular vaping rates have continued to fall for the third year in a row. The survey of more than 30,000 students found that 14.1% of 14-15 year olds reported vaping at least once a month compared to a peak of 20.2% in 2021, daily vaping also fell to 8.7% after being at 10% since 2021.
ASH Director Ben Youdan says, “We are pleased to see a third consecutive year of decline in regular vaping by year 10 students. This year-on-year decline follows a period between 2015 and 2020 when there was a rapid increase in youth vaping. During this time there were no laws regulating vapes. However, this trend appears to be reversing since new laws were put into place.”
Youth vaping declines for third year in row
Influence of NGOs on Vaping in Australia:
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Australia have played a significant role in shaping vaping policy. Still, much of their influence is driven by self-interest, often at the expense of public health. These organisations, which rely heavily on funding from tobacco sales, have adopted a fear-based, alarmist stance on vaping while ignoring its potential as a harm-reduction tool for smokers. Rather than promoting evidence-based solutions, their financial dependence on tobacco sales incentivises them to maintain the status quo. This public health model focuses on the harm caused by smoking while largely overlooking the potential of vaping to help smokers quit.
On this Day…2023
A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise…
IBVTA responds to UCL study
That shows adult smoking prevalence in England is stalling
A significant new study from researchers at UCL shows that the decline in smoking prevalence in England has slowed significantly since the pandemic. The lead author Dr Sarah Jackson cites one of the reasons being the increasing disconnect between the risks of vaping compared with smoking.
Chair of the IBVTA Marcus Saxton commented: “This important research from UCL shows that the Government’s smokefree ambition is stalling. The authors also rightly point to the media attention on vaping and the subsequent disconnect between the substantially greater risks from smoking. 43% of smokers believe that vaping is equally or more harmful than smoking, an increase of 60% since 2019. These are truly shocking figures, reflecting the never-ending cycle of negative stories on vaping, therefore it is of no surprise that smoking rates remain stubbornly high.
expert reaction to study showing that the decline in smoking in England has stalled since the pandemic
Smoking decline stalls since Covid
As more young people take up the habit – Aurelia Foster
A decades-long decline in smoking in England has nearly ground to a halt since the pandemic, a study suggests.
The rate of decline slowed from 5.2% in the years before the pandemic to just 0.3% between April 2020 and August 2022, according to the research.
The lead researcher said it was likely more young people had taken up smoking and that urgent measures were needed.
The government said it was taking “bold action” to make England smoke-free, including raising the legal age.
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