More Retailers Caught Breaking Law ~ RFK’s Deep Fake Video ~ MMA Champ Kayla Harrison Thanks Zyn for Getting Her Down to 135 ~ The AMA’s misleading narrative on vaping harms public health ~ The Tobacco Policy Own Goal Nobody’s Talking About ~ Triumph and Tragedy ~ Thank you kind readers! ~ Stuck in the Past: How Australia’s Health Institutions Betrayed Smokers and Ignored Harm Reduction ~ UK Disposable Ban Survival Guide: Switching to Non-Disposable Vapes ~ Why Is Europe choosing the longest path to end smoking? ~ Where there’s smoke | In focus: Tobacco and next-gen ~ Vapes could have an age-test so they don’t work unless you prove you are over 18 ~ ‘Vape fail’ – More than 99% of sales happening on black market ~ Black market surges as Albanese Labor government’s vape scheme goes up in smoke ~ Proposed tax on nicotine pouches would set back R.I. public health efforts ~ NEW PROHIBITION | Jacob Grier on Tobacco Control’s Dangerous Turn
Shopkeepers in Slough have been caught selling disposables after the ban came into force, with Trading Standards officers seizing more than 1000 devices. Meanwhile, in Sleaford, a retailer has been sent to prison for selling illegal vape products to underage children that contained banned levels of eliquid.
Researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) at the University of Oxford have uncovered a dramatic rise in easily accessible AI tools specifically designed to create deepfake images of identifiable people, finding nearly 35,000 such tools available for public download on one popular globally accessible online platform, for example. A recent video on Twitter/X depicts Robert Kennedy Jnr claiming that China is putting “gay
The new MMA champ has credited ZYNnicotine pouches with helping her make weight for her recent bout. If peak-performance athletes are using nicotine as part of their preparation, have we been lied to about the “harms” of nicotine?
The debate over vaping and e-cigarettes remains mired in fearmongering, and the American Medical Association (AMA) is a key contributor to the problem. On May 30, the AMA published an interview with Dr. Bilal Shahid Bangash titled “What Doctors Wish Patients Knew About E-Cigarettes,” authored by Sara Berg. While the AMA’s stated goal may be to inform, its messaging strays far from scientific accuracy, prioritizing misleading narratives over evidence-based harm reduction.
Something for my many friends working in nicotine policy, public health, regulation and media to mull over.
A BBC article dropped overnight suggesting certain supermarkets could be breaching tobacco advertising laws by promoting Heat Not Burn (HNB) products, and it’s a classic case of mixed messaging, lazy policy, and media imbalance doing more harm than good.
I started working on this before World Vape Day and intended to publish it that day (May 30). It turns out, a dark cloud was hanging over World Vape Day, and I suddenly changed my plans. That is why this special edition of the newsletter was postponed. It appears that commentary on those two awareness days has subsided, so I’ll finally get this published.
Did you know that it is Loneliness Awareness Week? That made me wonder if lonely people smoke more than people who don’t feel isolated.
I didn’t have time to conduct a deep dive on this, but a quick search led me to a study that caught my attention because it discusses older adults who smoke, and I’m participating in a webinar on June 26 about older adults and smoking.
Alan Gore, Australia, Let’s Improve Vaping Education (A.L.I.V.E.)
When Australia’s peak health organisations speak, policymakers listen. But what happens when those institutions entrench ideology, ignore global scientific consensus, and continue to promote outdated or misleading positions on tobacco harm reduction?
Over the past decade, international research has increasingly supported the use of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) as safer alternatives to smoking, with landmark reviews by Public Health England (now OHID), the Cochrane Collaboration, and New Zealand’s Ministry of Health concluding that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking and effective for cessation. Yet, Australian health authorities have largely refused to evolve, holding to a narrative rooted in fear, precaution, and, in some cases, moral panic.
It’s official: as of June 1, the sale of disposable vapes is banned in the United Kingdom. The law defines “disposables” (or “single-use vapes”) as vapes that are neither refillable nor rechargeable. Not only is it likely that this legislation will fuel the black market, but it could have devastating impacts on current vapers. Those who benefited from the simplicity and availability of single-use devices may be reluctant to switch to non-disposable vapes.
The European Union (EU) has set a bold public health goal: to become smoke-free by 2040. That means less than 5% of adults use combustible tobacco across all member states. It is an ambitious target, and for good reason. Smoking remains one of the leading preventable causes of death in the EU, with smoking rates averaging around 24% compared to just 5.3% in Sweden. So, how do we get from here to there, writes Tetiana Rak.
It’s a massive revenue stream, especially since vaping has emerged as the UK’s fastest-growing retail category, with sales more than doubling to £1.7bn in 2024. This surge added nearly £900m in sales, primarily through disposable vapes.
Brands such as Elf Bar, Lost Mary and SKE have led this growth, with Elf Bar alone generating more than £654m in sales within the convenience and independent grocery sector.
E-cigarettes or vapes should be fitted with technology forcing users to prove their age before taking a puff, according to a former Health Secretary. The proposal from Andrew Lansley is one of a number of measures to toughen up the Government’s smoking ban backed by members of the House of Lords.
The Albanese government’s vape scheme is in disarray with new figures revealing just one in every 1686 vape sales, excluding those involving prescriptions, occur legally through a pharmacy.
To make matters worse, one of the country’s largest legal vape suppliers is pulling out entirely, warning the system is “unreasonable” and fuelling the black market.
Rhode Island lawmakers have slipped a new tax into the state’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget that could hurt people struggling with addiction and set back public health efforts in the state.
The proposal would institute a new and highly aggressive tax — nearly doubling the price — on tobacco-free nicotine pouches, a product that many adult smokers use to stop smoking. Unlike cigarettes, pouches provide users with a nicotine fix without the need to inhale deadly smoke. Users place a small, smokeless, pouch between their lip and gum, allowing nicotine to be absorbed into their bloodstream.
Jacob Grier offers a sneak peek of his #GFN25 keynote on how the media misrepresents tobacco harm reduction. He unpacks the narratives driving public fear, the criminalization of safer nicotine products, and the explosive growth of the illicit vape trade. As millions turn to vaping despite the headlines, is tobacco control losing its grip on the narrative?
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.
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.
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