Vapers Digest 20th September
Monday’s News at a glance:
The real threat from the WHO and what UK consumers can and should do about it – NNA Calls On UK Vapers To Act – News from Parliament – Senators Propose $100 Million in Vape Industry User Fees…Again – ‘Rights 4 Vapers’ bus touches down – Antivaping Campaign Highlights Mental Health by Pitching ‘Depression Sticks’ – Nicotine Science and Policy Daily Digest
The real threat from the WHO
And what UK consumers can and should do about it
New Nicotine Alliance
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is a threat to vapers, not just in other parts of the world, but in the UK too. Consumers have a role to play in protecting reduced risk products that have benefitted us so much and could do for many more smokers in the future.
We have some wording suggestions when you write to your MP which you can read here.
To explain, here is a whistle stop guide to what the threats from the WHO are and why this is important.
There is a lot of consumer misunderstanding about the WHO and its upcoming ninth Conference of the Parties (COP9) meeting, which is understandable because it is opaque and restricted from the public despite relying on taxpayer funding (the UK is the biggest funder of the FCTC). The COP meetings are held every two years. The latest was scheduled for The Hague in 2020 but was postponed till this year due to COVID. It is now taking place virtually in November, with an abridged agenda and reduced working hours. This is dangerous as it makes it even more opaque.
NNA Calls On UK Vapers To Act
Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes
The New Nicotine Alliance (NNA) is calling on UK vapers to write to their MP. It says, “the World Health Organisation (WHO) is a threat to vapers, not just in other parts of the world, but in the UK too. Consumers have a role to play in protecting reduced risk products that have benefitted us so much and could do for many more smokers in the future.”
The WHO’s Conference of Parties (COP) is taking place this year, and the COP Secretariat has produced an agenda for COP9. It recommends discussions on reduced risk products be postponed until COP10 in 2023.
“This is a good thing because it means we have more time to ensure that Parties are being guided by better evidence rather than the wild and damaging recommendations emanating from TobReg and WHO. But this will not happen on its own,” says the NNA
News from Parliament
Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes
Rugby’s Mark Pawsey asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about the World Health Organization’s Conference of Parties (COP9). He also wondered if the Secretary of State had considered his All-Party Parliamentary Group’s findings. David Jones wanted to know about the next review of e-cigarettes and the Lib Dem’s Daisy Cooper sought clarification on the subject of NHS prescription vapes.
Mark Pawsey, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Vaping asked what evidence will be used to reach the UK’s agreed position on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) ahead of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ninth Conference of the Parties. He said this was important as this will be the first COP the UK has attended since it left the EU.
Tobacco control activists build their activism on idealised campaign-ready teens. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has *nothing* about at-risk adolescents facing poverty, substance use, violent abuse, mental health issues etc. See below for a comparison… https://t.co/ZeqIifk7vB
— Clive Bates (@Clive_Bates) September 19, 2021
Senators Propose $100 Million…
In Vape Industry User Fees…Again – Jim McDonald
New legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators would increase the FDA Center for Tobacco Products’ budget, and pay for it by assessing $100 million a year in user fees to U.S. vaping manufacturers.
The bill is similar to other recent user fee proposals, and is the same amount the FDA has asked for in annual budget requests for the last three fiscal years. The CTP is completely funded by tobacco company user fees, which so far have not included manufacturers of nicotine products that don’t contain leaf tobacco.
‘Rights 4 Vapers’ bus touches down
In Thorold to fight vape flavours ban
Last Saturday the ‘Rights 4 Vapers’ tourbus touched down in front of vape shop Quitters on Pine Street in Thorold. The bus is travelling around Quebec and Ontario to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of vapers, especially now that Health Canada has started looking into a banning flavours in vaping products.
Says Maria Papaioannoy-Duic, the organizer of the bus tour, “Rights 4 Vapers is the largest consumer-based organization that is trying to protect the rights of Canadians who have switched to vaping products and smokers who still not have been able to find the perfect tool to quit.”
Antivaping Campaign
Highlights Mental Health by Pitching ‘Depression Sticks’
Alexandra Bruell
Antitobacco organization Truth Initiative recently hawked a new vaping product to stores and ad agencies, but it wasn’t actually looking to make any sales.
The product, the Depression Stick, wasn’t real. It was fabricated to be used as part of a larger marketing campaign titled “It’s Messing With Our Heads,” which aims to convince teenagers that there is a correlation between nicotine products and anxiety and depression.
“We know from data that if you ask what are the things that young people are really concerned about right now, mental health goes right up to the top of the list,” said Robin Koval, president and chief executive at Truth Initiative.
On this Day…2020
A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise…
The thirdhand smoke grift
Christopher Snowdon, Velvet Glove Iron Fist
More essential public health research from California…
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a number of challenges…
Hasn’t it!
…including that many are spending more time at home than ever before.
Domestic violence, suicide, loneliness, isolation, depression. It is a major problem.
This is a significant problem for those with neighbors who smoke.
Not so much that, to be honest….
Recent publication of Gaiha et al
Karthik Ranganathan, Yuchen Xue
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a challenge for the scientific community to publish results quickly, and publication often occurs at the price of quality and reproducibility, which in turn undermines the public’s trust of science. A recent paper by Gaiha et al evaluated the relation between youth smoking and coronavirus and concluded, “COVID-19 is associated with youth use of e-cigarettes only and dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes.” If this is true, this finding has major implications for policy and would justify strong additional calls for youth not to use these products during the pandemic.
We call for the inclusion…
Of the harm reduction approach in nicotine use
Nicotine Damage Reduction started this petition to Congress of the Republic of Colombia, legislators from Latin America and the world.
In case you want to know more information about us, our project or our initiatives, visit our website: www.nicotinareducciondedaños.com / who-we-are / or our social networks on Twitter (@NicotinaRRD), Instagram (@Nicotinarrd), and Facebook (@Nicotinarrd).
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