Vapers Digest 18th April
Tuesday’s News at a glance:
How Trump Can Light The Way For The E-Cigarette Industry – Progress in New York, but anti-vaping studies continue to appear – Israel’s huge gift to Philip Morris – Regulation Kills Innovation – President Trump just might save vaping – An Outbreak Of Truth On The ASH Twitter Feed – Aspen considers raising tobacco, e-cigs age to 21 – The New Anti-Vaping Rules Are Making My Life with Harder – Nicotine in the News – NSP Daily Digest
How Trump Can Light The Way For The E-Cigarette Industry
Jan Verleur, Daily Caller
Last year, the FDA announced it would extend federal regulatory control to e-cigarettes. As part of the ruling, government approval of all e-cigarette products and related consumables introduced after 2007, such as e-liquid, is now required. These products must go through a formal approval process to remain on the market. Winning a single approval could cost more than $1 million for a given applicant.
This is a virtual death sentence for mid-size and smaller electronic vapor brands. Some simply won’t be able to bring products to market that offer reduced health risks compared to combustible cigarettes. Others will be forced to raise prices, diminishing their competitiveness. Let’s not forget – this will likely also have a trickle-down effect on the thousands of vape shops and retailers nationwide that rely on product versatility to attract customers.
Progress in New York, but anti-vaping studies continue to appear
Fergus Mason, VapingPost
There was good news for vapers in New York state last week, as reports indicate that Governor Cuomo’s planned crackdown on vapour products has been cut from his upcoming budget. A court case is also underway in an attempt to strike down the US government’s ban on in-flight vaping. However, Australian nicotine opponents are arguing that vaping during pregnancy can cause asthma based on yet another study of mice. Meanwhile the CDC’s own data shows that e-cigarettes are steadily replacing licensed medicines as a quit method, but the agency refuses to accept their effectiveness.
Israel’s huge gift to Philip Morris
Haaretz
This week, an Israeli nonprofit filed a High Court petition against the Health Ministry following its surprising decision to exempt international tobacco giant Philip Morris’ new e-cigarette, iQOS, from regulation.
Health Minister Yaakov Litzman’s decision means that the e-cigarette can be marketed in Israel without any warnings or restrictions, and that it will not be subject to the usual taxes on tobacco products. A warm welcome into the Israeli market – courtesy of the Health Ministry.
Regulation Kills Innovation
Mawsley, Planet of the Vapes
Dr. Brad Rodu of the University of Louisville and Pamela Gorman of SFATA (Smoke-free Alternatives Trade Association) discuss vaping from a scientific and industry perspective. Rodu was one of the first adopters of a harm reduction approach to smoking cessation. He argued that the “quit or die” philosophy of the 1970s was out-dated and, although it had worked in a fashion, alienated many smokers. Harm reduction has seen smoking rates plummet since its adoption. Gorman previously worked as a state senator for Arizona.
The Heartland Institute is a national think-tank with the mission to promote the free market and offer free market solutions to economic problems. They believe in individual liberty, such as the right to be able to vape in public and not submit to restrictive and unnecessary legislation.
President Trump just might save vaping
San Diego Tribune
Could the new Trump administration save the vaping industry from its fears of being regulated into oblivion by the Food and Drug Administration? Gregory Conley, a top vaping spokesman, says it might happen.
I interviewed Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, on April 15. He said the signs continue to point to favorable treatment for vaping by the administration. But nothing definite has been announced.
It may be too early to look for such an announcement, Conley said, because Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Trump’s nominee to lead the FDA, hasn’t yet been confirmed.
An Outbreak Of Truth On The ASH Twitter Feed
Dick Puddlecote
Unless the cleaners got hold of ASH’s Twitter feed on Good Friday or something, was this a fleeting glimpse of real life intruding on the fantasy economics they usually try to present to the world?
Perhaps that is the part – about tobacco companies not selling as many legal cigarettes – which attracted ASH’s attention, I dunno. It’s true to say that the richly-funded tobacco control Goliath’s emphasis has long since become a crusade against industry rather than having anything to do with health, so that would fit very nicely.
More unnecessary chaos due to the pointless & entirely spiteful prison smoking ban https://t.co/oBSofyH3Z7 pic.twitter.com/MVMjTi6mqM
— Dick Puddlecote (@Dick_Puddlecote) April 17, 2017
Aspen considers raising tobacco, e-cigs age to 21
The Aspen Times
The City Council will hear a presentation tonight that considers raising Aspen’s legal age to buy tobacco products and electronic nicotine devices from 18 to 21.
Pitkin County Medical Officer Kimberly Levin, who is championing the effort and will join Eric Brodell of the Prevention Tobacco Addition Foundation as tonight’s presenters, said last week she hopes raising the age eventually will catch on with the rest of Colorado, which has a minimum age of 18 to buy tobacco.
“The hope is that there will be a domino effect and this will also go to the county and beyond,” she said.
The New Anti-Vaping Rules Are Making My Life with Harder
Vice
I was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia four years ago and have been picking myself up off the floor every day since. I was prescribed some medication that ruined my life, and then I was prescribed some medication that didn’t ruin my life as much (I could see after the fourth antipsychotic I tried, at least, which was a definite plus).
I have spent the time since trying to figure out how to bridge the gap between myself, a medicated schizophrenic, and everyone else who works in my office. Yes, I’m a paranoid schizophrenic who has had a real corporate job for nearly nine years.
Nicotine in the News
Harry Shapiro
Top read of the week is Fidela Cook writing in the Scottish Sunday Herald about how e-cigarettes pretty much saved her life by turning her away from a 40 a day cigarette habit. She rightly says that the demonisation of e-cigarettes could backfire dramatically by driving her back to cigarettes. But almost as an aside, she points the finger at Big Tobacco as participants in the campaign against e-cigarettes. It could be that she doesn’t realise that the likes of BAT and Philip Morris are major players in the field of HNB technologies, but I doubt that.
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