Vapers Digest 19th June
Wednesday’s News at a glance:
Congress spotlights the FDA’s “Kafkaesque” vaping regulation
Guy Bentley, Reason
The U.S. e-cigarette market is awash with illicit vapes. Few consumers or retailers know which products are legal and which are not. Thanks to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to deny authorization for more than 99 percent of e-cigarettes, crushing the domestic vape market, companies mostly based in China have stepped in to satisfy consumer demand for these safer alternatives to cigarettes.
Members of Congress vented frustration at the FDA over the chaotic U.S. vape market at a Senate Judiciary hearing on June 12. Spearheaded by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the hearing was titled “Combatting the Youth Vaping Epidemic by Enhancing Enforcement Against Illegal Cigarettes.”
Andrew Mark Miller, Fox News
Two conservative nonprofits have teamed up to deploy resources at major sporting events across the country this summer to criticize and bring attention to a push by Democrats to crack down on nicotine pouches.
Americans for Consumer Protection and Building America’s Future have launched a six-figure campaign that began with a team on the ground at golf’s U.S. Open in North Carolina over the weekend as operatives with signs and promotional materials called on lawmakers to “Save Our Pouches.”
Online sales of ZYN nicotine pouches have been suspended by manufacturer Swedish Match North America (SMNA) after the company received a subpoena from the District of Columbia (D.C.) attorney general requesting information about flavored ZYN sales in D.C.
The D.C. City Council passed a comprehensive flavor ban in 2021, outlawing the sale of all nicotine and tobacco products in flavors other than tobacco. The law took effect in 2022.
Two From Dave Cross, Planet Of The Vapes
Perspectives from GFN24 – Day 1
Planet of the Vapes came into being before the days of disposable vapes, shortfills and threats of flavour bans. Across these years, one event remains that includes nicotine consumers in the discussions about vaping and tobacco harm control – the Global Forum on Nicotine. Taking place annually at the Marriott Hotel in Warsaw, Poland, #GFN presents workshops, presentations and more. Here are the highlights from Day 1.
Perspectives from GFN24 – Day 2
Since 2011, Planet of the Vapes has witnessed vaping grow from a cottage industry with consumer driven controls to a global industry worth £Billions. From punching cartos to single-use vapes, consumers have stood up for evidence-based policy making in the UK and in Europe with the Tobacco Products Directive. It placed the UK at the forefront of tobacco harm reduction but, as attendees noted at the Global Forum on Nicotine, taking place annually at the Marriott Hotel in Warsaw, the threat to vapes and flavoured eliquids has never been greater. Here is a snapshot of the conversations from Day 2.
GFN 2024 Round Up – Who Said What?!?!
Michelle Jones, EcigClick
So if you were not there in person or unable to catch the live streaming, here is a round up of the important points made!
If you would like to watch some of the discussions you can view them on the GFN YouTube Channel here.
The streams are available in English, Russian and Spanish. Below is an example – Day 1 in English…
New Insights into Youth Vaping
Tobacco Reporter
A new study has provided an in-depth look into the rising trend of disposable vape use among young people in the U.K.
Led by the University of East Anglia and published in Addiction, the research reveals that young people see smoking and vaping as interchangeable, but are far more aware of the potential harms of vaping than they are of the dangers of smoking.
Vaping, Chantix Show Similar Benefit for Quitting Cigarettes, in the Short Term
Elizabeth Short,
E-cigarettes and varenicline (Chantix) helped long-time smokers quit conventional cigarettes at similar rates in the short term, but the benefit was more lasting with varenicline, according to a single-center randomized trial from Finland.
In individuals with moderate to heavy dependence on nicotine, confirmed 7-day abstinence from smoking at week 26 — the trial’s primary endpoint — was observed in 40.4% of the participants utilizing nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, 43.8% of those taking varenicline, and 19.7% of those on placebo (P<0.001 for both placebo comparisons).
On this Day…2023
A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise…
A tobacco-free society is a realistic goal
But a nicotine-free society is difficult – Karl Fagerström
Forty-five years ago, when he had just turned 30 and was working in a unit that looked after people who wanted to quit smoking, clinical psychologist Karl Olov Fagerström devised the so-called Fagerström test — a brief questionnaire, made up of eight questions, to assess a smoker’s addiction to nicotine. Four decades on, the test is still used, just with two fewer questions.
Health, policy experts express concern
Over WHO ‘going rogue’ – Manila Bulletin
International policy and public health experts expressed dismay over the World Health Organization’s (WHO) controversial moves over the years regarding its policy making, saying that it should prioritize health and common sense rather than engaging in controversial political maneuvers.
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