Vapers Digest 22nd November
Wednesday’s News at a glance:
New ways of thinking about an old problem ~ Anti-Vaping Advocates Admit Error ~ Councils are still blocking the freedom to vape ~ Health Canada report calls for big tax hike on cigarettes ~ Tobacco & Cigarette Industry Indonesia ~ Tobacco Harm Reduction Is Science, Not Conspiracy ~ PLoS Biology Senior Editor Liza Gross: An Activist with No Biology Education ~ Campaign continues to raise smoking age ~ Independence City Council votes to cut number of tobacco-only shops in city in half ~ Here’s one way to wean Kentuckians off cigarettes
New ways of thinking about an old problem
Derek Yach, Foundation For A Smoke-Free World
Walking into the majestic Royal Society building in London for the 5th E-Cigarette Summit, I was struck that the first painting of many great inventors visible in the vast rooms and stairways was that of Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. A new technology innovator, being honored in an old building. For me, attending the summit for the first time, and eager to listen and learn about the evolving science and policies related to e-cigarettes and other tobacco harm-reduction (THR) products, that painting set the stage for the content of the meeting. The well-developed field of tobacco control is now in transition. A focus on nicotine and novel products able to deliver nearly clean nicotine is challenging the strategies we have relied on since the 1970s to end smoking.
Anti-Vaping Advocates Admit Error
Carl V. Phillips, The Daily Vaper
The authors of one of the more notorious recent anti-vaping journal articles have issued a correction. Samir Soneji published a letter explaining that he and his colleagues used faulty inputs in their “meta-analysis” paper, which supposedly summarized the results of studies related to the mythical gateway claim. After fixing the error, their claimed final result dropped dramatically.
This error is ultimately unimportant compared to the other flaws in the paper. The methodology is inherently junk science, just as it was for a previous version of the same exercise.
Councils are still blocking the freedom to vape
Harry Phibbs, Conservative Home
A year ago Andrew Allison wrote about councils banning vaping on their premises and the perverse result that this makes it harder for their staff and residents to give up smoking. A report for the Freedom Association indicates that this problem persists. Astonishingly 126 councils (32 per cent of those who responded) require vapers to use designated smoking areas in all or some circumstances.. This is actually an increase from 112 councils in 2016. Various councils said they would review the matter – as they said a year ago. But what are they waiting for? Vaping is not smoking and it should not be treated as if it is.
Health Canada report calls for big tax hike on cigarettes
Dean Beeby, CBC News
Ottawa needs to hike tobacco taxes significantly to meet its long-term target of reducing smoking to just five per cent of the Canadian population, says a report for Health Canada. The internal report, obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act, says cigarette taxes have been the most effective tool for cutting smoking, based on the Canadian experience since 1999.
Tobacco & Cigarette Industry Indonesia
Indonesia-Investments.com
The tobacco industry is one of the largest industries in Indonesia with domestic cigarette consumption high, especially among Indonesian men. It is estimated that around 65 percent of Indonesian men are smokers. For Indonesian women the figure is much lower – around 3 percent only – because it is less socially acceptable for women to consume cigarettes in Indonesia. Given that two companies within the top ten of largest Indonesian companies (in terms of market capitalization) listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange are cigarette manufacturers, it becomes clear how large the tobacco industry of Indonesia really is.
A Billion Lives – Demand Film
Coming to a Cinema near You – Reserve your tickets Now!
Tobacco Harm Reduction Is Science, Not Conspiracy
Brad Rodu, Tobacco Truth
Technology newsmonger The Verge should stick to covering cell phones and earbuds. Last week it published a fantastical tale of e-cigarette intrigue, suggesting the existence of an international tobacco and vaping industry conspiracy. The article by Liza Gross (here), richly sourced, linked my work to this imagined scheme. I have always been entirely transparent about my research sponsors. I have publicly reported that my research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, from 1999 to 2005, and since at the University of Louisville, has been supported by unrestricted grants to those institutions. The funds are managed according to the institutions’ policies to assure that grantors have no influence on my research products or activities.
PLoS Biology Senior Editor Liza Gross: An Activist with No Biology Education
Alex Berezow, ACSH
In a world of fake news, scientists tend to find comfort within the pages of the scientific literature. While peer review is far from perfect and science often wrong, the process finds the truth in the long-run. The gatekeepers of science — that is, the people tasked with editing the scientific journals — have an incredibly important job. They must decide which research deserves to be published and which does not.
Campaign continues to raise smoking age
Press Republican, Suzanne Moore
PLATTSBURGH — Clinton County health advocates are engaged in a regional effort to educate the community about the benefits of raising the minimum age of sale for tobacco products from 18 to 21. The local task force, joining the national Tobacco 21 movement, is comprised of Tobacco Free CFE (Clinton, Franklin, Essex), the Clinton County Health Department, North Country Healthy Heart Network and Champlain Valley Health Network.
Independence City Council votes to cut number of tobacco-only shops in city in half
Matt Stewart, Fox4KC.com
You are no longer welcome here — that is the message Independence leaders are sending to one type of business they say is hurting the health of our children. National studies show cigarette usage among teens is falling, but the number of teens using “other” forms of tobacco is on the rise.
Here’s one way to wean Kentuckians off cigarettes
Brad Rodu, Cincinatti.com
The Coalition for a Smoke-Free Tomorrow wants to boost cigarette taxes by at least a dollar, with “a parallel tax increase for other tobacco products.” They’re aiming well beyond smoke- free; they want “tobacco-free.” And that’s a euphemism for prohibition. There’s a better option, and it’s endorsed by 16 tobacco research and policy experts from across the nation and co-sponsored by the Pegasus Institute.
On this Day…2016
A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise…
BAT suggests regulations to bridge vaping products
Diane Caruana, VapingPost
The author of this article is a spokesperson from British American Tobacco, (BAT), the second largest tobacco manufacturer in the US, who is greatly investing in electronic cigarettes and research about the products.
Dr James Murphy, Head of Reduced Risk Substantiation at BAT who gave a keynote speech at the at the Next Generation Nicotine Delivery conference held last week in London, said, “Despite their short history, products like electronic cigarettes have gone through many changes and can now be categorized in multiple generations.”
He added, “The many innovations and technological breakthroughs that allow for this rate of development are so rapid that it is impractical to create complete new data sets every time a product is tweaked. This would drastically impact the innovation process, the availability of new and improved products and their value as a public health tool.”
CDC-Funded Pasadena Health Department Campaign Calls Vapers “Stupid Sheep”
Michael Siegel, TobaccoAnalysis
Federal taxpayer money is being used in a campaign that calls vapers “stupid sheep,” according to an article in the Pasadena Independent. The article reports that a major print advertisement in the campaign contains a headline that reads: “Don’t follow the herd. Vaping effects are unknown, stupid sheep.”
An article in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune also reports that: “The advertisements compare e-cigarette users to ‘stupid sheep.’”
The campaign is being funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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