Vapers Digest 20th May
Monday’s News at a glance:
Comments on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill – UK politician proposes smoking ban be extended to vapes – Thinking ’bout THR Newsletter – UW Medicine is Confused About Nicotine Pouches – New ASH Youth Vaping Figures – Global Action to End Smoking Launched – Parliament – Addressing the Misconceptions in the AI Vaping Flavors Study – Illegal cigarette and vape market to slice $12.5bn off federal budget
Comments on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill
New Nicotine Alliance – Clive Bates
A submission to the Parliamentary Bill Committee scrutinising the new legislation – The Tobacco and Vapes Bill– consumer group comments by the New Nicotine Alliance. The overview is reproduced below.
Overview: In short, the Bill’s flagship anti-smoking measure hits the wrong target group with an ineffective policy. The Bill’s anti-vaping measures will cause more harm than good to the critical group for public health: current adult smokers. Neither measure will do much to reduce youth smoking or vaping.
The Smokefree generation targets a largely irrelevant population of smokers. The Bill’s flagship measure, the Smokefree Generation, addresses a problem already solved mainly by smoke-free alternatives, such as vapes and pouches.
UK politician proposes smoking ban …
Be extended to vapes – Ali Anderson
A Member of Parliament (MP) in the UK has quietly put forward an amendment to the new smoking ban to include vapes. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will make it illegal for anyone born after 1 January 2009 from ever legally being sold cigarettes or other tobacco products.
The Bill includes measures to crack down on youth vaping, but does not currently include vapes in the outright ban on smoking for future generations.
However, Labour MP Rachael Maskell has added a proposed amendment to the document that would make it illegal for anyone born after 1 January 2015 (six years after the smoking ban limit) to ever buy a vape.
Thinking ’bout THR Newsletter
Skip Murray
Consumers often comment they aren’t heard and aren’t given a seat at the table. The people who, or might someday, use nicotine should be the 1st ones to have a seat at the table. People of all ages, those who don’t want to start – those who want to quit – and those who want the least harmful way of using it.
I’m in the United States. CASAA (Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association) has given adult consumers a voice, here and abroad, for many years.
Please join them on June 15th for a special livestream fundraiser to help them continue to be a voice for thousands of consumers like me. I will be one of their guests. Further details will be coming soon! Click Here If you don’t want to wait to help out…
.@abcnews reveals just how detached from reality it has become. I suppose it happens if you buy Becky’s ridiculous lies.
For the few people who don’t know what I mean, how much tax revenue is generated from illegal products? pic.twitter.com/O30v0ZDba4
— Phil (@phil_w888) May 20, 2024
UW Medicine is Confused …
About Nicotine Pouches – Jospeh Hart
A recent article in the UW Medicine publication Right as Rain aims to shed some light on nicotine pouches. However, it doesn’t quite hit the mark on a number of points and, as it turns out, they’re just trying to sell you something anyway.
The article, titled Are Nicotine Pouches Bad for You?, draws heavily from a few sources that are connected to the UW Medicine campus. The first of which is Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center tobacco treatment specialist, Brandon Omernik.
Three from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:
New ASH Youth Vaping Figures
New figures from Action and Smoking and Health show “youth vaping has plateaued while adult vaping is at an all-time high”. If this is true, it means the planned restrictions proposed by the government to combat teen vaping are completely superfluous. Moreover, the tax imposition and the banning of flavours will ruin the appeal of vaping for current smokers.
The latest findings [1] from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH’s) annual surveys of young people and adults find that 11% of British adults vape, up from 9% in 2023. However, rates of vaping among 11–17-year-olds have not increased, with 7.6% of young people vaping occasionally or regularly, and 17% of young people having ever vaped, similar to the levels reported in 2023.
Global Action to End Smoking Launched
Cliff Douglas (President and CEO) has officially relaunched the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World as Global Action to End Smoking and described the move as “a very exciting time for the organisation”. The relaunch took place at a live event in Washington, D.C. and featured a panel discussion.
The panel discussion featured Dr Leighton Ku, the director of the Health Policy Research Centre at the Milken Institute of Public Health at George Washington University, and Dr Anthony Salandy, the senior director of Development and Business Strategy at the National Harm Reduction Coalition. The discussion was moderated by veteran broadcast journalist Kenneth Moton of D.C.’s Fox Five.
Parliament
The SNP was kind enough to raise the question of Totally Wicked’s sponsorship of Blackburn Rovers FC once more, Andrea Leadsom address concerns about fertility (not hers, don’t panic), and Rachael Maskell wants more done about addiction and dependency. All in all, it was another quiet week in Parliament.
With MPs gaze now more on the forthcoming election than ever, whenever that may be, some of them are trotting out their ‘greatest hits’ for the benefit of public delectation. The SNP’s Kirsten Oswald delighted onlookers as she wibbled on about Totally Wicked’s sponsorship of Blackburn Rovers FC once again in a question to the Prime Minister.
Addressing the Misconceptions
In the AI Vaping Flavors Study – WVA
A recent study has stirred up considerable discussion by claiming potential carcinogenic risks associated with vaping flavours, but a deeper look reveals fundamental flaws in its methodology. We believe it’s crucial to clarify these points for a more accurate understanding.
The study asserts that pyrolysis, a process involving the decomposition of materials at high heat, occurs during vaping and could lead to the formation of toxic compounds. However, this assumption does not align with the typical usage and operational conditions of e-cigarettes. The conditions modelled in the study do not demonstrate relevance to how e-cigarettes are actually used, which casts doubts on the conclusions drawn about the toxicity.
Illegal cigarette and vape market
To slice $12.5bn off federal budget
The booming illegal smokes and vapes market is cutting a swath through the federal government’s budget, with tax revenue from tobacco set to fall by $12.5 billion over five years.
Federal budget papers released last Tuesday showed the estimated tobacco excise take had been slashed by $2.35 billion this year alone since December, a fall of 18.3 per cent.
The sudden revenue writedown, the second largest in all of the federal budget, has largely been caused by the deluge of illegally imported cigarettes that are openly on sale across Australia for in some cases as little as $15 a packet.
On this Day…2023
A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise…
Evaluation of the legislative framework
For tobacco control – Open Public Consultation – ETHRA
May 2023. ETHRA submitted to the European Commission’s public consultation on the evaluation of the legislative framework for tobacco control. The consultation was in the form of a questionnaire with the option to attach a supporting document. Due to the inherent bias again tobacco harm reduction in the questionnaire, our supporting document was our main contribution to the consultation.
It’s time for retailers to take responsibility
For underage vaping – Martin Cullip
Whether in supermarkets, corner shops or the increasing number of vape shops, vaping products have become a common sight on high streets. Last year, e-cigarette market revenue in the UK was just over $3.5 billion. That’s expected to grow to more than $4 billion in 2024. Consumer demand for tobacco harm reduction goods such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches shows no sign of slowing down. Along with this growth are concerns over an increase in the number of underage vapers, and some have even called for a complete ban on the products.
It is important to understand the benefits of vaping, especially considering that it’s recommended by the NHS as a safer alternative to smoking. Vaping can be a valuable tool for smokers looking to quit, and it is therefore essential that responsible small businesses are able to provide these products to their customers.
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