Vapers Digest 16th June

Friday’s News at a glance:

Can vaping legal framework be built on more than just slipshod bills, please? – Lectio Magistralis on physics and THR in Catania – Navigating the Path to Safer Nicotine Consumption – Some Politicians Would Rather You Smoke Pot Than Vape – 7 Days To GFN23 – Trading Standards “Thinly Spead” – Experts on Ban Call – Commissioner Calls For Ban – UKVIA Responds to the Children’s Commissioner – Youth Vaping Steadily Down in Arizona – Maine’s proposed flavored tobacco ban – Crossing the moral devide of Tobacco – WHO FCTC and Safer Alternatives Are Catalysts – A path to harm reduction – Safer Nicotine Products for People who Smoke – Grand Theft Vaping – Nicotine Science and Policy Daily Digest

Can vaping legal framework

Be built on more than just slipshod bills, please? – Freddie Dawson

It’s surprising the loopholes lawmakers can miss when writing, debating and passing bills.

Then again, maybe it isn’t, given allegations that most politicians don’t even bother reading the bills they vote on and that many proposals either parrot vested interest submissions word for word or copy and paste from similar bills passed in other jurisdictions (often with unintended consequences). Whatever the case, it’s amazing what can get left out of bills. Ireland, for example, is only now moving to close sales of vaping products to under-18s.

Lectio Magistralis on physics and THR

CoEHAR

On June 14, prof. Roberto Sussman, Associate Professor and Researcher in Theoretical Cosmology at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, held a Lectio Magistralis on the physical principles linked to the environmental emissions of the ecig aerosol

The environmental emissions generated by the ecig aerosol is a matter of debate in the field of the research applied to combustion free products. Prof. Roberto Sussman is one of the leading experts in the field and collaborated with CoEHAR publishing three extensive articles in collaboration with Prof. Riccardo Polosa on topics related to Aerosol Physics, specifically on bio-aerosols in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Navigating the Path to Safer Nicotine …

Consumption with Nicotine Pouches – Muhammad Ahmed

Nicotine pouches (NPs) are a relatively new addition to the growing array of safer nicotine products. These pouches contain nicotine sourced from tobacco plants or created synthetically. To create a more enjoyable user experience, the ingredients are blended with various flavors and other food-grade components, such as taste enhancers, and sweeteners.1 Enclosed in dissolvable permeable membranes, the contents of these pouches are gradually released when placed between the upper lip and gums. As a result, they are absorbed by the oral mucosa into the systemic circulation without any need for spitting.1 While the use of NPs is similar to oral tobacco products like Swedish snus, it is crucial to highlight that NPs solely contain extracted nicotine and do not include any tobacco leaf.2

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Politicians Would Rather You Smoke Pot

Derek Hunter

I was a smoker for a long time, too long. Anyone who smoked was a smoker for too long, but quitting is something harder than you expect it to be when you first pick up one of those nails because you’re curious and think it looks cool. It’s not an opioid addiction, but it is an addiction people do struggle with, sometimes for years, to shake. So when politicians attack a successful avenue for quitting, particularly the one that worked for me, it really makes you wonder what they’re really doing. One such politician is Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). His recent actions leave you with the impression that he’d rather people smoke than have access to what may well be the most successful tool in breaking tobacco addiction: vaping also known as e-cigarettes.

Five from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:

7 Days To GFN23

The Global Forum for Nicotine event (GFN23) takes place next week at the Warsaw Marriott Hotel, Poland. Organisers say that it is still possible to register to attend. They also point out that you can register for free if you would like to attend online and view selected sessions.

The conference organisers say: “With GFN23 just days away, we thought we’d give you a sneak peek at some of the discussions, debates and decision-making discourse that you can expect in Warsaw. Many of our wonderful GFN23 panel speakers have provided short presentations or videos to get our minds in gear for their respective sessions, and to give us a little time to prepare some thought provoking questions!

“You can check out the full selection of the panellists’ pre-conference submissions in the #GFN23 online programme here – just look for the “PDF” or “Video” symbol below a panellist’s name.”

Trading Standards “Thinly Spead”

A new Freedom of Information (FOI) data indicates that ‘thinly spread’ Trading Standards teams mean that unscrupulous vape traders are getting off scot-free, according to Arcus Compliance. Its new report reveals a staggering lack of regulatory enforcement is being taken against rogue vape traders.

Data gathered through FOI requests by Arcus Compliance has shone a light on the activities of local Trading Standards in addressing youth access and illegal products.

The findings, which are due to be released in full later this month, show that, across six major UK cities, just two shops were successfully prosecuted for underage/illicit sales between 2021 and April 2023

Experts on Ban Call

Last week, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) issued a plea for the UK government to ban disposable vapes. Experts in tobacco harm reduction and vaping have responded by pointing out that this is a simplistic answer and offered greater insight into the way forward.

Dr Mike McKean, vice-president of policy at the RCPCH, said: “Without a doubt, disposable e-cigarettes should be banned”. His comment accompanied the RCPCH sending a document to the Scottish government.

Commissioner Calls For Ban

The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza has responded to the Government’s ‘Youth vaping: call for evidence’ with a call to ban on legal disposables – leaving teens at risk of the unregulated black market. Research shows that almost all teens who use vapes are smokers or ex-smokers (thanks to vaping). It also shows that most used disposable vapes in their quit tobacco attempt.

Last Tuesday, the Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health demanded that the Government banned disposable vapes. The Children’s Commissioner has added to the call, calling the marketing of vapes to teens as “insidious” and claiming they leave teens unable to focus in classrooms.

UKVIA Responds to the Commissioner

The UK Vaping Industry Association (|UKVIA) has released a statement following the Children’s Commissioner for England calling for a ban on all disposable vapes. The trade organisation agrees that children’s wellbeing is very important but the correct approach should be the enforcement of current legislation.

Responding to the Children’s Commissioner’s recommendations, John Dunne, Director General of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said: “We absolutely agree that children’s wellbeing is precious at all times so they can lead healthy and happy lives. We also agree that youth vaping has to be urgently tackled, but banning single use vapes is not the answer to the issue.

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Youth Vaping Steadily Down in Arizona

Lindsey Stroud

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published the 2021 results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for Arizona high school students. The biennial national survey, done in coordination with state health and education departments, surveys students on various attitudes and behaviors from dietary habits to mental health and substance use.

There is great news for policymakers in the Grand Canyon State as the use of traditional tobacco products is at record lows while youth vaping has steadily declined in recent years.

Maine’s proposed flavored tobacco ban

Takes aim at the wrong targets – Christine Peters

Rather than punish hard-working businesses that responsibly sell tobacco, lawmakers should focus on enforcing current laws and continue to work with responsible tobacco retailers who understand the issues and obey the law.

When Massachusetts banned flavored tobacco sales in 2019, retailers and economists raised the alarm that such a ban would not only push small tobacco retailers to the brink of closure, but also fuel the illicit market and would not achieve the significant public health benefit the ban advocates promised.

Crossing the moral devide of Tobacco

Chow Zhi En

AFTER half a century of studies, the science behind why it’s so difficult to quit smoking is crystal clear: Nicotine is addictive – reportedly as addictive as cocaine or heroin in some medical literature.

Any adult smoker would have heard from a family, friend, or even medical practitioner to quit or switch to less harmful products if possible.

“To reduce the risk of lung cancer you’ve got to understand the nature, production and source of the carcinogens,” said Dr Peter Harper during a media edugagement event in Kuala Lumpur on May 31 about modified-risk products.

Safer Nicotine Products for Smokers

John Oyston

Dr, John Oyston presents the Evidence: Tobacco smoking is even worse than you think. We should care about people who smoke. Vaping is a safer alternative to smoking and a way to quit The public and healthcare workers are ignorant about vaping.
Vaping is being unfairly vilified in Canada and the US. Alternative sources of nicotine are saving lives globally.

And concludes by discussing How to quit smoking in 2023.

WHO FCTC and Safer Alternatives

Are Catalysts To Be Smoke-Free

Expert opinion by Prof. Bejon Kumar Misra, International Consumer Policy Expert, Honorary Professor at the National Law University, Cuttack, Odisha, from recently held 7th edition of the Consumer Freedom Conclave.

India needs an assessment of tobacco cessation in safer alternatives, to avoid a ‘Hobson’s choice approach

Pioneering with its G20 Presidency Health Track, the world looks upon India as a critical enabler in shaping the global agenda for health – to draft a model policy framework focusing on public healthcare prevention, care, needs & issues, thereby accelerating the progress of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Grand Theft Vaping

FDA’s Struggle to Regulate in An Age of Moral Panic | RegWatch

While the FDA didn’t necessarily create the moral panic over teen vaping, the agency appears to have stoked the fire, doing very little to stop it.
There may be no excuses for the FDA’s handling of nicotine vaping products, but regulating in an environment prone to moral panics isn’t easy.

In this episode of RegWatch, Dr. Cheryl K. Olson, health and behavior researcher and behavior science advisor at McKinney Regulatory Science Advisors, discusses FDA’s struggle to follow the science and the parallels she sees between the moral panic over teen vaping and the long-simmering moral panic over violent video games.

A path to harm reduction

For persistent smokers in Pakistan

More than 8 million people around the world die every year from smoking, accounting for one in ten deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). With an estimated 163,600 deaths attributed to smoking each year, Pakistan faces a significant burden of smoking-related diseases.

While quitting smoking remains the ultimate goal for all smokers, regulating less harmful alternatives can be a stepping stone towards harm reduction and improved health outcomes for persistent smokers in Pakistan.

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On this Day…2022

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

GFN: Quit Or Die No Longer An Option

Dave Cross

‘Quit or die’ no longer the only option for 1.1bn smokers worldwide say the organisers of the Global Forum on Nicotine. The ninth Global Forum on Nicotine takes place in Warsaw this week where experts will be discussing the role of safer nicotine products like electronic cigarettes.

As the UK Government-commissioned Khan Review recommends the government “embrace the promotion of vaping as an effective tool to help people to quit smoking tobacco”, over 50 international experts and people with experience of using a wide range of safer alternatives to cigarettes are set to speak in front of hundreds of delegates in Warsaw at the ninth annual Global Forum on Nicotine (#GFN22).

Sweden set to reject controversial ban

Snusforumet

A Swedish parliamentary committee has recommended parliament reject the government’s proposed e-cigarette flavour ban.

In a report released on June 15th, the Riksdag’s Committee for Health and Welfare expressed support for most of the measures outlined in the government’s proposal for a new, tougher law on tobacco-free nicotine products.

Among other things, the bill would implement marketing restrictions, age limits, and warning labels.

These measures embraced by the Swedish parliamentary committee are largely in line with an informal industry framework that has been in place for years in the absence of any formal regulation.

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

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