Vapers Digest 17th November

Friday’s News at a glance:

The end of what? UK E-cigarette Summit 2023 – Vaping: a guide for health and social care professionals – Why Can’t Smokers Quit: Part I – Excluded THR Consumer Groups Fight On – APPG Launches Manifesto – MEPs Want Integrated EU Strategy – GSTHR THR Groups Briefing Paper – Experts React To JAMA Study – COP10 Postponed – COP10 Has Been Postponed to 2024 – How Sweden Quit Smoking: A Review – FDA Protects Children from Obscure Novelty Vapes – New guidelines for health professionals – Podcast: Can smoking bans be good news? – Consumers condemn Finland’s tax increase plan – Statewide Flavored Tobacco Ban – A Focus on Nicotine Education – The Big Problem With Banning Disposables – Updated Flavours Review Report – Pushing Limit

The end of what? UK E-Cig Summit 2023

Clive Bates, The Counterfactual

The extended version of my presentation to the UK E-cigarette summit 16 November 2023

Vaping: a guide for …

Health and social care professionals

Andy McEwen, Hayden McRobbie, Louise Ross & Kirstie Soar

When the NCSCT published Electronic cigarettes: a briefing for stop smoking services in 2014, it was a world-first review of the literature on use, effectiveness, and safety of e-cigarettes. The second edition in 2016 provided an update, drawing on a comprehensive independent evidence review published by Public Health England,1 and giving guidance for stop smoking practitioners and services.

In the last few years there has been a significant increase in research on e-cigarettes and evidence reviews have been, and continue to be, regularly published. This briefing is specifically written to summarise information and address issues relevant to health and social care professionals and to stop smoking practitioners in particular.

Why Can’t Smokers Quit: Part I

Brad Rodu, Tobacco Truth

Along with my research colleague Nantaporn Plurphanswat, I recently published a study entitled “Why can’t smokers quit? Longitudinal study of smokers in the US using the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) waves 1 to 5.” It was published in Addictive Behaviors Reports.

We attempted to determine the factors that may be associated with persistent smoking. There have been many other studies of this subject, but most have only involved a single cross-sectional survey. The FDA’s PATH survey is different, because it has followed thousands of people for several years.

The proposed vaping crackdown will fuel the black market and increase smoking rates@D_LittleproudMP and @The_Nationals get it@Mark_Butler_MP needs to stop and consider the likely disastrous outcomes before its too late

My OpEd via @sheppartonnews today⤵️@GabbyWilliamsMP… pic.twitter.com/hCWqtCf559

— Dr Colin Mendelsohn (@ColinMendelsohn) November 17, 2023

French Minister for Health Aurélien Rousseau has said she wants to ban nicotine poucheshttps://t.co/YHYZC3SfVn

— European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (@europethra) November 16, 2023

Excluded THR Consumer Groups Fight On

Kiran Sidhu

“So little is published about the grassroots groups which advocate for tobacco harm reduction, but as our briefing paper shows, there is much to be said,” Jessica Harding, director of external engagement at the public health group Knowledge-Action-Change, told Filter.

KAC, based in the United Kingdom, has just released the latest report under its Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) project. It explores both the critical importance of international consumer advocacy groups in this space, and their exclusion from policy discussions to determine the future of tobacco harm reduction (THR).

Five from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:

APPG Launches Manifesto

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Smoking and Health has published its tobacco control manifesto, which is strong on punishing tobacco companies and weak on vaping. While the MPs are keen to see Big Tobacco foot the bill to deliver a smoke-free UK, they also want to usher in further restrictions on vaping – thereby removing or reducing the incentive for adults to make the switch.

The backbench All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health says its manifesto for a Smokefree future calls on the Government to make Big Tobacco pay to deliver a Smokefree future.

MEPs Want Integrated EU Strategy

MEPs are proposing actions “to prevent and lower the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the EU, in order to reduce the burden on healthcare systems and on citizens’ quality of life”. The World Vapers’ Alliance says that this is a step in the right direction, but the report remains “problematic”.

The European Parliament’s release states: “MEPs stress that prevention is key in combating NCDs. They underline the need to address the main factors that substantially increase the risk of NCDs, including tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets, environmental factors, UV radiation and chemical exposure…..”

GSTHR THR Groups Briefing Paper

The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) has released a new Briefing Paper looking at tobacco harm reduction consumer advocacy groups – and notes their exclusion from COP10. The COP10 conference was due to take place in Panama this month but has now been postponed to 2024.

While the future of tobacco and smoking will be discussed at the tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Panama next year, consumer organisations advocating for tobacco harm reduction (THR) will be absent.

Experts React To JAMA Study

Tobacco harm reduction experts have responded to a new study conducted by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina and published by the JAMA Network. They looked at data from the US Food and Drug Administration Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study to see how teen use has changed due to the release of salt-based nicotine vapes.

The survey concluded: “These data reveal a shift in tobacco use among young adults, showing historically low cigarette use, which has positive public health significance. However, e-cigarette use is higher (14.5%) than reported previously (11%), coinciding with the introduction of salt-based devices in 2015 to 2018……”

COP10 Postponed

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s (FCTC) Conference of Parties (COP10) was due to take place in Panama at the end of this month. It was set to force more anti-vape measures onto countries following secret talks, but organisers have decided to postpone the event to 2024 due to a three-week old demonstration about copper mining.

Environmental protestors in Panama are complaining about the decision to keep a copper mine operating in the middle of a jungle. It is said that this has caused a loss to businesses of £65 million a day, 15,000 cancelled medical appointments, and a 62-yr-old American man shot dead two protesting teachers.

COP10 Has Been Postponed to 2024.

Is This Good or Bad For Tobacco Harm Reduction?

Diane Caruana – Vaping Post

The Tenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and the Third session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products have been postponed to 2024.

Allegedly, the last minute decision followed a communication from Panama, the host country, reporting a current unstable security situation. Originally scheduled for November 2023, the sessions are now expected to take place in Panama as early as possible in 2024, with specific dates yet to be confirmed.

How Sweden Quit Smoking: A Review

Joseph Hart

How Sweden Quit Smoking is a new documentary from the always excellent We Are Innovation. It’s directed by Tomasz Agencki, known for previous films Korwin, Beyond the Cloud, and the award-winning Where the Directives Grow.

Each of Agencki’s previous films ponders the absurdity of the people and organisations that govern our lives. How Sweden Quit Smoking is no different.

The film’s primary question is simple: How did Sweden hit a 5% smoking prevalence rate 17 years before other EU member states?

FDA Protects Children…

From Obscure Novelty Vapes – Jim McDonald

The FDA sent warning letters today to seven online retailers, citing them for sales of novelty vapes that the agency says resemble “youth-appealing toys and drink containers.” According to FDA Center for Tobacco Products Director Brian King, the products “can be easily concealed and contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm the developing adolescent brain.”

The FDA regularly goes after novelty vapes, which make up a tiny piece of the worldwide vape industry. Most vaping consumers buy products they know will work, and novelty vapes don’t inspire confidence among people who count on vape products to avoid smoking. Novelty products aren’t made by well-known vaping manufacturers.

New guidelines for health professionals

Colin Mendelsohn

NEW EVIDENCE-BASED GUIDELINES on vaping have been released by the UK National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training to educate health professionals about vaping and to encourage them to assist smokers to quit with vaping. The guidelines were prepared by a team of UK and international experts in the field.

The briefing (available here) is also a valuable aid to Australian health professionals. Most Australian doctors remain misinformed about vaping and very few are able to provide support for smokers, raising fears among vapers that they will not be able to access prescriptions and legal vaping supplies when the new regulations are introduced.

Podcast: Can smoking bans be good news?

ECigIntelligence

Colin Mendelsohn, a general practitioner for 27 years with a focus on smoking who now works exclusively in tobacco treatment in Sydney; Maxwell Marlow, director of research at Adam Smith Institute in the UK; and Stefan Plesa, market analyst at ECigIntelligence, join a panel to talk about the UK’s recent plan to create a smoke-free generation by introducing a progressive age ban for tobacco products, its consequences, and whether these smoking bans in general could represent positive news for the vaping industry.

The Problem With Banning Disposables

James Dunworth on the UK vaping consultation | #GFNNews

A UK government consultation on e-cigarette restrictions is due to conclude on 6 December 2023, with restrictions on flavours and disposable vapes amongst the proposed regulatory changes. In this episode James Dunworth, chairman of E-Cigarette Direct, joins us to discuss this consultation, and the opportunity it provides for vapers to make their voices heard.

Consumers condemn Finland’s tax plan

World Vapers’ Alliance

The Finnish government’s recent proposal to increase taxes on nicotine pouches and vape liquids has drawn criticism from the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA). The current plan would increase the price of one nicotine pouch box by approximately 2.5 Euros. This move, which aims to bring smokeless nicotine products under tobacco taxation, is seen as a significant step backwards in harm reduction efforts.

Michael Landl, Director of the WVA, expressed his concerns:

Updated Flavours Review Report

With Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos

Statewide Flavored Tobacco Ban

Won’t Happen Next Year – Lucas Manfield

The deadline has passed to introduce legislation in February’s five-week short session of the Oregon Legislature, and there’s no sign of a renewed effort to ban flavored tobacco statewide.

A bill to do so last year failed after facing opposition from distributors, who say banning the products will simply fuel an unregulated black market.

Advocates of a ban say the products target kids and encourage smoking. “The Oregon Legislature has once again failed to take the tobacco epidemic seriously,” said Jamie Dunphy, a government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

Pushing Limit

Canadian Economist Troubled by Vape Taxes & Flavour Bans | RegWatch

Never before has the future of nicotine vaping in Canada looked so perilous. With the province of Quebec now wholly joined with New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and the Northwest Territories in banning or restricting flavours in nicotine vaping products, hundreds of thousands of Canadians now have little or no access to a vital tool for tobacco harm reduction.

Taxes are also compounding the difficulties for Canadian vapers, first with the federal government and its recently levied excise tax.

A Focus on Nicotine Education

During COPD Awareness Month – Joseph Magero

World COPD Day is an annual event held on the third Wednesday of November. It’s an initiative organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) in collaboration with healthcare professionals and organizations worldwide.

COPD is a progressive lung disease characterized by airflow limitation and breathing difficulties. Smoking is the leading cause of COPD – the harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke cause inflammation in the airways and damage to the lungs, leading to conditions like chronic bronchitis and emphysema, which fall under the COPD umbrella.

On this Day…2022

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

Vaping proven to be the best way to quit

Media look the other way – Christopher Snowdon

The media love stories about vaping so it is odd that only the Daily Mail covered the latest Cochrane Review when it was published yesterday. Cochrane Reviews are at the very top of the evidence pyramid and only include randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

There is an argument that RCTs are not best way to measure the benefits of vaping for smoking cessation because smokers tend to switch to vaping organically, sometimes gradually, and often without intending to quit. Nevertheless, RCTs have still shown vaping to be more effective than nicotine patches and placebos. The last Cochrane Review in 2020 concluded that there was ‘moderate-certainty’ evidence that e-cigarettes are effective in helping smokers quit.

Vapes are TWICE as good as patches and gums – Daily Mail

E-cigarettes are more effective than NRT – Mirage

Vaping: On the Right Side Of History?

Kayleigh Jenkins – Ashtray Blog

Where did vaping come from? And where is it going? At the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction’s 2022 ‘Right Side of History’ launch event, Harry Shapiro and Professor Gerry Stimpson chart the course of vaping and tobacco harm reduction from its early history to its likely future.

Here’s a summary of what they had to say:

In the 1950’s/60’s concern about the dangers of smoking became more widespread. In response, the tobacco industry ingeniously managed to convince people they could create a ‘safer cigarette’ by simply adding a filter….