Vapers Digest 16th February

Wednesday’s News at a glance:

Women power: researchers and experts who changed the THR field ~ Sweden tobacco tax travesty: punish snus users and keep cigarettes cheap ~ ETHRA attends European Commission meeting on new tobacco and nicotine products in tobacco control policies ~ CDC Exploited the 2021 Teen Vaping Survey, But Still Withholds Raw Data from Independent Researchers ~ Spot the odd one out ~ Philanthropists Who Do More Harm Than Good Need To Be Held Accountable ~ Are You Feeling Burnout? ~ The Canadian Vaping Association: New CDC Foundation study finds vape flavour restrictions reduce demand ~ Senate Narrowly Confirms Robert Califf as the Next Head of the FDA ~ Senate Confirms Robert Califf as FDA Commissioner ~ Thai Legalisation A Global Turning Point ~ Vape Vending Opens Opportunities ~ ENDS 2022 Announced ~ GFN22 “Fives” Submissions Sought ~ Tobacco Harm Reduction: Towards Safer Alternatives ~ ‘Remember When We Thought Cellphones Were Going to Cause Brain Cancer?’ ~ Administrative Law Judge Dismisses FTC Complaint Against Altria’s Minority Investment in JUUL ~ Should Maine Crack Down on Vaping? A Look at the Facts ~ Flavour ban on e-cigarettes could damage anti-smoking drive, Oireachtas health committee told ~ Vaping reps will urge health committee not to ban flavoured nicotine products

Women power: researchers and experts who changed the THR field

CoEHER

In the field of harm reduction, there are a lot of women who stand for the smokers’ right to choose safer alternatives to quit smoking. Some of them are leading experts in fields such as research, communication and law.

Sweden tobacco tax travesty: punish snus users and keep cigarettes cheap

SnusForumNet

Sweden’s controversial new tobacco tax proposal would further punish already over-taxed snus users while failing to address the fact that Sweden has the Nordics’ cheapest cigarettes. The Swedish government recently proposed a new tax on tobacco and alcohol.

CDC Exploited the 2021 Teen Vaping Survey,

But Still Withholds Raw Data from Independent Researchers

Brad Rodu, Tobacco Truth

For years, I have objected that federal agencies selectively release information from their national surveys months or years before making the data available to all external researchers (here, here, here, here and here). This practice guarantees that government officials control the narrative about behaviors that they deplore.

Spot the odd one out

Christopher Snowdon, Velvet Glove Iron Fist

Three messages from Mike Bloomberg’s prohibitionist outfit Vital Strategies. One of these things is not like the other ones…

Philanthropists Who Do More Harm Than Good Need To Be Held Accountable

Martin Cullip, Inside Sources

Philanthropy is the practice of giving money and time to help make life better for other people. Usually, it is the richest in society giving something back to make a difference and create positive change, under the auspice that this free giving comes with nothing expected in return. But what happens when philanthropists go bad?

Are You Feeling Burnout?

INNCO

“Many ex-smokers who quit with safer nicotine have been “tireless” advocates for safer nicotine alternatives for over a decade. But the bad news keeps coming. Drug harm reduction advocates faced exactly the same problem: Advocacy Burnout. Advocates on the side of “good and light” get tired. I feel it. You feel it. Let’s talk about it.” ~

The Canadian Vaping Association: New CDC Foundation study

finds vape flavour restrictions reduce demand

The Canadian Vaping Association, Globe News Wire

A difference-in-difference analysis examining the change in vape product sales in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington before and after flavour bans, has found that statewide restrictions on non–tobacco-flavored sales were associated with reductions of 25.01% to 31.26% in total unit sales compared with total sales in states without restrictions. The hasty conclusion of this analysis is that the reduction in total sales has also reduced youth vaping prevalence.

Any obligation to comply with a deadline tied to the effective date is similarly postponed. For example, FDA strongly encourages entities to submit cigarette plans as soon as possible, but no later than June 10, 2022.

— FDA Tobacco (@FDATobacco) February 16, 2022

Senate Narrowly Confirms Robert Califf as the Next Head of the FDA

Alex Norcia, Filter Magazine

On February 15, the Senate narrowly confirmed Dr. Robert Califf as the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In a bipartisan nail-biter, six Republicans supported him and four Democrats opposed him. Bernie Sanders, an independent, also voted against him, and another senator withheld his vote.

Senate Confirms Robert Califf as FDA Commissioner

Jim McDonald, Vaping 360

The Senate confirmed Dr. Robert Califf as FDA commissioner Tuesday afternoon by a 50-46 vote. Califf’s nomination, first considered a sure thing, was in doubt almost to the end because of the nominee’s industry ties, questions over his handling of the opioid crisis, and opposition from anti-abortion conservatives.

Four from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes

Thai Legalisation A Global Turning Point

Thailand legalising vaping set to be global turning point, according to consumer group ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST). The move to stop criminalising smokers looking to reduce their harm exposure has been welcomed by advocates and described as an exciting step.

Vape Vending Opens Opportunities

For the first time in the UK people can use a digital ID on their smartphones to buy vape products from a vending machine as part of a 12-month trial approved by Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards – a decade since the sale of tobacco products from machines was banned in the UK to prevent them getting into under-aged hands. The vending machine can be seen in the Leicester branch of The Vape Shop.

ENDS 2022 Announced

ENDS 2022, Europe’s leading science-based conference dedicated to e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems, is set to return on 24-25 May 2022 in an online format. The annual event is aimed at key stakeholders from the electronic nicotine delivery systems industry. For the second year, Planet of the Vapes News as has been invited to be an official media partner.

GFN22 “Fives” Submissions Sought

The Global Forum on Nicotine team recently announced plans to hold the #GFN22 conference live in Warsaw, from 16 – 18 June 2022. Last year saw the initiation of the GFN Fives and the GFN Team wants to see Planet of the Vapes readers’ news and views submitted in 2022.

Tobacco Harm Reduction: Towards Safer Alternatives

Dr. Kiran Melkote, Times Of India

Harm Reduction is a strategy that is neither new nor unknown – on the contrary, it is a widespread and routine phenomenon that we see everywhere but often fail to recognize as Harm Reduction. Using a Helmet or a Seatbelt is Harm Reduction. Using low calorie sweeteners is Harm Reduction. Using an N-95 mask is Harm Reduction. The examples are endless.

‘Remember When We Thought Cellphones Were Going to Cause Brain Cancer?’

Michelle Minton on the nicotine policy debate

James M. Hohman, Mackinac Center For Public Policy

The Overton Window for cigarette policy is narrow. Cigarettes are highly regulated and highly taxed. To the extent that there is a policy debate, it tends center around whether to ban menthol cigarettes and whether to raise taxes. Yet the popularity of new nicotine products like e-cigarettes has changed the policy debate, and to talk about this, I spoke with Michelle Minton, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Administrative Law Judge Dismisses FTC Complaint Against Altria’s Minority Investment in JUUL

Should Maine Crack Down on Vaping? A Look at the Facts

Steve Pociask, The American Consumer

Local jurisdictions in Maine are moving quickly to restrict access to e-cigarettes. Portland and Bangor have approved bans on flavored tobacco products, with Brunswick poised to follow suit. Now the focus is shifting to the Maine Legislature, where policymakers have introduced a flurry of bills to prohibit the sale of flavored e-tobacco products or ban e-cigarettes outright. Reducing tobacco use is a laudable objective, but targeting vaping won’t deliver the public health benefits we all seek.

Flavour ban on e-cigarettes could damage anti-smoking drive, Oireachtas health committee told

Eilish O’Regan, Independent IE

A flavour ban on e-cigarettes could damage tobacco harm reduction and consumer choice, the Oireachtas health committee was told today.

Declan Connolly of the Irish Vape Vendors Association (UVVA) said e-liquid flavours are of” vital importance to vapers.”

Vaping reps will urge health committee not to ban flavoured nicotine products

Garreth MacNamee, The Journal IE

FLAVOURED NICOTINE PRODUCTS should not be restricted in new legislation, members of the Irish Vape Vendors Association (IVVA) will argue tomorrow.

The Joint Committee on Health will meet tomorrow, Tuesday 15 February with representatives from the IVVA for pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill.

On this Day…2018

Reintroducing Liberty

Paul Barnes, Facts Do Matter

Two surprising pieces of news appeared in my timeline this week. First, the Czech Republic are planning to reverse parts, if not all of the smoking ban. Secondly, Austria are planning to do the exact same thing.

Naturally, this has prompted a lot of screaming from the usual suspects, labelling the proposed reversals as “a public health disaster”.

Terminal Stubbornness

Andy Morrison – New Nicotine Alliance

On 28th January, I was delighted to welcome friends up to Scotland to attend the Glasgow School of Vape in my home city. It was a lively event which attracted many keen vapers along with fellow NNA trustees, associates and supporters, plus a delegation from Cancer Research UK recruiting e-cigarette users for a study. However, the weekend was soured on hearing from those who flew in that Glasgow Airport has installed poor and misleading signage outside the arrivals terminal.

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